Mystic: Slave
by Kd Zeal
Summary: OC Lyn becomes a slave of the Mystics and, with Janus' help, learns to survive in their world. Rewrite of an earlier story, now much improved. Chap. 32, the past is just a dream. FINISHED.
1. Prologue

This story has been in the works for years. Literally, you can still find the old version on my profile. This is the complete, remastered, and much improved version. I hope you enjoy, but please note it's rated for a reason. I try to keep it down, but this is about war and slavery (and Janus, later.) Flame if you want, I'll have fun.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chrono Trigger. If you recognize it, it's not mine.

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Somewhere just north and a little west of the Magic Cave a group of Mazoku gathered. Diablos and Hench surrounded an Outlaw, and a pair of Freelancers lurked near the back. The Outlaw hunched over a small map, a Diablos and a Hench looking over his shoulder. "It's a small town, poorly defended. We shouldn't have any problems," the light-colored Outlaw squawked, pointing at a mark on the map with a talon. "You, Ethrurrion, lead the attack from the forest. It's small enough, you'll be able to hear our war cry and know when to strike."

The white-furred feline Mazoku offered a brief nod, confirming, "Tomorrow dawn? We have to leave now, then, if we're to be rested for the attack." He looked over the small force, then motioned to the other twenty or so Diablos. Their light coloring would hide them in the desert, though they would have to move slowly to remain unnoticed, and no other species of Mazoku was as adept at hiding in woods.

With the Diablos departing, the bird-man sized up what was left. Two dark-clad Freelancers, come from the near-by Denadoro Mountains, and about ten of the fat, red-skinned Hench from Ozzie's castle. The mercenary Freelancers had come merely for the recognition they could garner, and so required no pay, but would fight whole-heartedly to earn such recognition. It would raise their price in the future, he knew, but that didn't matter now. The Hench, on the other hand, were quite frankly stupid, but they were to be the anchor fighters, drawing the Humans' defenders away from the forest.

"Blanim, you'll attack from here, where the town meets the desert," the Outlaw ordered the leader of the Hench, pointing out another mark. To maximize the spoils of this raid, he added, "Remember, only kill those who attack you with weapons. We aren't here for mindless slaughter."

"Yah, Esaku, we know dat. We here to catch da Humans, not ta kill dem. We kin have fun wit dem later." The fat Hench gave a nasty leer, his protruding features loaning themselves to the expression easily.

Esaku nodded, satisfied that the Hench saw the wisdom, or at least the interest, in keeping the deaths to a minimum. For their part, the Hench ambled away; off to amuse themselves in any unobtrusive way they cared. That left only his kin, the Freelancers, to deal with. Casually, the white-robed Outlaw drew out his blade, a lovely little scimitar taken from his oldest uncle when he'd ascended to family leader. Checking it over for flaws, he cawed at the mercenaries. "So, brothers, you have chosen to fight with me?"

The elder of the Freelancers, a young male by the name of Ichigin, barely able to command a price, stepped forward. "We wish to join this noble cause. We even fight without price." To his credit, he remained calm in the face of Esaku's blade, recognizing the gestures as part of an idle power play, and not currently a threat to him.

"Hum, yes..." Esaku murmured, sheathing the scimitar. "And that does indeed speak highly of your belief in our cause." Flattering, empty words flowed from the Outlaw's beak with ease; he was used to speaking them. Esaku would be very surprised if Ichigin's fervor continued past this one raid. A mercenary required pay, but to get good pay they needed a reputation first. Ichigin wanted that reputation, so he fought for free, and with his brother; it was that simple. "I will trust you to attack when and where you wish. As you fight with no pay, you cannot claim any of the spoils, you know this?"

"I do not agree to a thing until I know it," Ichigin squawked, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He would no longer stand to be questioned. "I believe my brother and I shall fight from the desert, and keep the Humans locked within their town. Is that acceptable, Esaku?"

The white bird-man nodded, marking the map with his claw. "Most acceptable, Ichigin." He barely noticed as the Freelancers departed, too busy staring at his map, and the town trapped between three marks. The only side that wasn't to be attacked was that of the sea. The Humans were welcome to run there. "Soon..." Esaku muttered, finally turning away. Under the markings and Mazoku writing, a short Guardian word identified the doomed town as 'Algetty'.

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Expect the next chapter in about a week. Please review! 


	2. Chapter 1

I don't own Algetty or, weirdly enough, Mahew. Yes, he's cannon, but you probably won't recognize him. I believe I own the other villagers, but it's okay if you borrow them. But not Lyn, she IS mine.. I don't own Chrono Trigger. And a note about the hair colors: yes, these ARE common colors in the CT world.

So, enjoy!

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It was a bright and sunny spring day, and that's what woke Lyn. She shifted under the blankets, then sat up, lightly tanned skin catching the sun. Stretching showcased a rather unimpressive body, which was soon hidden when she dressed. Running fingers through her dark green hair to brush out any snarls, Lyn let her hair hang down her back, contrasting with the russet brown of her dress. Ready for the day, she left her room and went down the stairs, entering the kitchen, where her mother happily worked on something that would probably become either lunch or dinner.

"Hey, Mom. Why'd you let me sleep so late? I thought I had errands to run?" Lyn asked, snagging the bread Shanda motioned her towards.

"It's not that late," Shanda answered, laughingly. Purple hair framed a face just starting to show laugh lines, while a streak of flour dusted a cheek. "The sun only just came up, and you looked so peaceful. You've still got plenty of time to do your chores."

Lyn looked out the window, gauging how long the sun had been up. Her mother had a tendency to get lost in her cooking and forget how much time had passed. As she suspected, the sun had been up for more than a short while. "Mom... it's been at least an hour," the young girl corrected, eating the bread.

That caused Shanda, finally looking away from the food, to blink at the window in an almost accusatory manner. Brushing a lock of hair from her face with her arm, and unintentionally spreading the flour, she asked, "Now, when did that happen... Oh well, the more focused I get--"

"The better the meal!" Lyn finished enthusiastically.

"Hasn't been proven wrong yet," her mother responded, returning to work. "Finish your breakfast and do your errands, then."

When the bread was finished, Lyn picked up a basket and left the house, going north towards Widow Marie's house. The widow was a good woman who worked hard growing vegetables in a small garden. Unfortunately, she had a habit of working too hard, and often threw out her back. She had done so yesterday, and Lyn wanted to check in on her before she had time to injure anything today.

It was a short walk from Lyn's house to Marie's house, and as expected, the widow was already up, kneeling in her garden and pulling up weeds from among the newly sprouted vegetables. When she saw the young woman, the widow sat up and waved. "Hello, Lyn! Come to say hello to an old woman?"

Lyn nodded, smiling. "Wanted to make sure you weren't pushing yourself to hard. My healing tech only works so well, you know." Picking her way through the neat rows, Lyn finally knelt beside Marie. "So how you feeling?"

"I'm doing just fine, young'un. Weeding's hard on the hands, not the back. _And_ I'll make sure to ask for help with my baskets next time, too." Widow Marie gave Lyn a fond smile. She owed a lot to the young girl, and her useful technique. "Shanda cooking? Let you sleep in?"

A frown creased Lyn's face for a moment, then she nodded. No use asking how Marie knew that; Lyn had promised to come over first thing in the morning, so it wasn't very hard for Marie to figure out when she'd woken up. "Yeah, and I've really gotten behind... I have to go to market, and check on Doan's kid, and... Well, you know how it goes."

Widow Marie winked, a cunning smile on her winkled face. "You should pick up a ribbon for your hair at the market. Young men like women who fancy themselves up a bit. Maybe a nice orange or yellow; match your hair."

Lyn blushed furiously and stood up. She'd tried telling Marie that none of the boys in town had caught her eye, but the widow didn't seem to care, just merrily continued her matchmaking. "I'll... yeah, I'll have to see if there's anything there..." the girl muttered, starting to leave. "You take care now!"

"You too, Lyn!" Marie answered, waving at the retreating girl before going back to work.

Heading south, toward the center of town, Lyn passed her house again. Everyone worried about how close Marie and Shanda were to the forest, but the mamono on Denadoro almost never left the mountain, so Lyn didn't see any reason TO worry. She liked being away from the center of town. Out here on the edge you could be alone, and she liked the greenery. The town center bordered too close to the desert for her liking. She was almost at the market square now, and the dirt path had changed to rough paving stones. The sun was high in the sky, and she could hear voices up ahead.

She decided to check on Doan's boy before she bought anything. If she did any shopping when there was a patient waiting for her, she couldn't properly relax and enjoy the shopping. Passing the bakery, Lyn waved at the baker, who was just putting the first sweet buns out. Doan's house was just beyond the bakery. He was a carpenter, and his three-year-old son had found the tools the other day. Luke had managed to cut himself pretty badly, but Lyn's tech and quick action had prevented any serious damage.

Lyn knocked on the door before opening it. "Sera? You in? It's me, Lyn!" she called from the doorstep.

Doan's wife answered from the bedroom. "In here, Lyn! I was just helping Luke get changed."

Going in, Lyn waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, then met Sera coming out of the bedroom with a sullen Luke in tow. Bending down to the toddler's level and placing her basket on the floor, Lyn smiled brightly "Hey there, Luke! How's your arm?"

Silently, Luke offered the bandaged arm, watching Lyn with solemn blue eyes. Sera answered Lyn's question, "Oh, it's been doing just fine, I think. We're just so thankful, we were so worried when we saw him standing there, but he's doing just fine. The cut's almost all healed up!"

The green-haired girl mostly ignored Sera's words as she unwrapped the bandage and looked at the arm herself. The healing wound was an angry red, slowly giving away to scaring on the outer edges. Lyn debated healing it again and leaving it undressed, but decided that it would probably be better for Luke's body to heal the rest of the way on its own. As she was re-wrapping the arm, Lyn looked up at Sera, who had stopped talking. "He should be fine. You can probably stop bandaging it after today." She smiled at Luke as she released his arm. "Now Luke, you be good and listen to your mother, okay?"

The child gave no answer, looking at his arm in wonderment like he did at the end of every visit. Sera didn't seem to notice, following Lyn as she went to the door. "Thank you ever so much. I don't know where we'd be without you."

"Don't worry, Sera. I'm glad he's doing so well." Re-adjusting the basket on her arm, Lyn left the carpenter's house.

The bakery was almost next door, and while Shanda was a good cook, she didn't really like baking. So, Lyn entered, inhaling the wonderful scent of fresh bread. "Hi, Maris," she greeted the girl behind the counter.

The baker's oldest daughter smiled at Lyn. "How'd ya know Da just finished baking a batch? Just one loaf, like usual?"

"Yeah," Lyn answered, putting her basket on the counter and digging in her pouch for the gold to pay for the bread.

"Hey, have ya heard the latest?" Maris asked, grabbing a square of cloth from Lyn's basket.

"No, what?" Green hair swayed as Lyn shook her head.

Wrapping a loaf in the cloth, Maris leaned in closer, dropping her voice conspiratorially. "Well, it's nothing major, but Tobias told me last night that his Da was down by the mountains to the south-east, and you'll never guess what he saw there!"

Tobias was the son of Mahew, who was known for getting drunk a little more often then was wise. Tobias was ALSO Maris' suitor, which didn't make her father Daril very happy, but with four daughters what was a baker to do? Somewhat less than interested, Lyn asked, "No, I won't, I'm sure. What did he see?"

"He said the cliff shook and opened, some of those mamono walked right out, and then the mountain closed up behind them, nice as ya please!"

"Um-hum. And why didn't the mamono attack him?"

Maris gave Lyn a withering look, placing the bread in the basket. "He wasn't stupid! He was hiding, of course. They didn't see him, walked right on by! Betcha in two days we'll hear another town's been burnt out. My Da can't figure why King Guardia don't send some o' his troops down, protect the villages that feed the kingdom, ya know?"

Lyn handed Maris the gold and started looking for an out. Maris meant well, but she could talk about nothing all day, and Lyn still had errands. "Well, I'm sure the King has his reasons... But I have to be going, Maris. I promised Widow Marie that I'd buy a hair ribbon." Why'd she have to say that? She didn't want the ribbon... Well, there was no getting out of it now. If she didn't buy the ribbon, Maris would be sure to find out.

Managing a graceful exit, Lyn sighed and looked around, shading brown eyes with her free hand. She still needed to pick up some cheese, but she could get that on her way back home. There was nothing for it but to go to the market and find a ribbon. Yellow, she decided, if she could find one. It wouldn't stand out against her hair so much.

As she crossed the square, Lyn heard someone calling her name. Turning, Lyn saw Tobias running up to her, panting. "Lyn! It's Pa! He and Doan were in the woods getting some wood for Doan's work, and I don't know how it happened, but a tree fell on Pa, and Doan got it off, but Pa's hurt awful bad, and..."

"Where?" Lyn asked, all thoughts of ribbons driven out of her mind. "Show me."

Tobias had to gasp in a few lungfulls of air before he was able to straighten, roughly sweeping brown hair from his eyes. "C'mon, this way!" he said once he had recovered, taking off again. Lyn followed him through town, barely noticing when the town ended and the forest began.

They didn't go far into the forest; the sun still pierced the canopy with ease, and the forest was bright. Doan saw them coming and called Lyn over, showing her the injured Mahew. Panting, the girl knelt beside the man, looking him over.

There was a lot of blood, and his legs didn't look right at _all_. Lyn shook her head and didn't look any more. Right now, she had to keep him alive. The rest could wait.

"Mahew? I need you to relax. I'm going to heal you, don't fight me. You understand, Mahew?" Lyn said, resting her hands on his bloody chest.

"Yeah, go on, girl..." Mahew agreed, groaning a little.

It was so much easier when they gave permission... Lyn closed her eyes and focused within herself. To Doan and Tobias, she appeared to be glowing softly, and then the glow flowed out of her, into Mahew, who stiffened. His legs straightened a little, and most of the smaller cuts healed over, but there was a limit to what Lyn's tech could do. Unsatisfied with Mahew's chances, Lyn cast again, and then again, until all the visible cuts had closed up. Now drained, she slumped over the injured man, who was quietly succumbing to sleep.

"There... I can't... do any more. You might... wanna take him... to San Dorino..." she gasped.

Tobias pulled her off Mahew, thanking her. "We'll see about that. Mum and I, I mean."

"Sit there and rest. Tobias and myself'll build a travois for Mahew. You should be able to walk home then, right Lyn?" Doan took over.

Lyn blinked up at the man, brushing sweat-soaked green hair from her brow. "Yeah... Yeah, I'll be fine after I've rested a little..."

Doan and Tobias began working on the carrying frame, Doan talking as he worked. "You been in to see my Luke? How's he doing?" he asked, trying to choose a neutral topic. Not coincidentally, it was also something he was intensely interested in.

"He's fine. You can stop bandaging him tomorrow..." Lyn looked out into the forest, wondering when it had gotten so late. The sun would be down in a couple more hours. A flash of color caught her eye, but when she looked, there was nothing there. After a bit of thinking, she figured it must have been a bird, and focused on Doan's words again.

"...sure is good, knowing we don't have to worry about keeping the bandaging on Luke. He's been fighting us over it. Guess he doesn't like the feel..."

The travois didn't take very long to build, and Tobias was able to lift his father onto it with a minimum of difficulty. Doan said he'd pull Mahew, leaving Tobias to help Lyn back to her house. Once they got there, Shanda was told what happened. She promised she'd take care of Lyn, telling Tobias to run home and comfort his mother.

Shanda had helped her daughter through the exhaustion brought on by over using her tech before. First, she sat Lyn in front of some thick stew that had been simmering since the morning. When the bowl was empty, mother shooed daughter to bed. It had been a hard day, and Lyn would probably be wanted to heal Mahew until it was safe to take him to Dorino.

Shanda was proud of her daughter; there was no doubt about that. But it was hard on Lyn, the healing she did, there was no denying that. At an early age, the girl had seen many grave injuries. It didn't seem right, that a child had to see that, had to loose their innocence so young. But what else were they to do, way out here where they usually didn't have access to any of the more sophisticated healing methods? With such thoughts, Shanda cleaned up, then went to bed.

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Please read and review! Next chapter in about a week 


	3. Chapter 2

Things start picking up here. References are made to Weiila's history of the Mazoku, which I'm using by her permission. I don't own Chrono Trigger. Enjoy the fic!

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South of Algetty, Esaku watched the eastern sky. It wasn't yet lightening, but the fat Hench were getting restless. He might have to start this attack sooner than he'd like. No, that was a mis-statement. He'd like nothing better to start this attack. After spending an entire day with Blanim, attacking was looking pretty Lardon-damned good. Anything but keeping the Hench quiet and content would look like a blessing from the Liberators themselves by now. But it wasn't time yet. The stars alone didn't give quite enough light.

Blanim looked over his boys and grinned. They were all ready, ready to attack the pathetic Humans. They'd run in, fight, capture, and maybe kill, then leave a smoking town to greet the day. It wouldn't be long now, for sure. The Hench punched his palm, grinning wider. He couldn't wait.

West of Algetty, Ethrurrion watched the eastern sky, blue-white eyes reflecting the scarce light. The sky was just starting to brighten, and the Mazoku was expecting to hear Blanim's battle cry very soon now. The Diablos licked a marmalade paw absently, flexing to release his claws. He couldn't wait for the attack to start.

They'd reached the forest late afternoon, only to find it already overrun by Blue Eaglets and Rolys. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem, but neither beast were conducive to stealth. They'd had to clear out the forest, and the appearance of the Humans hadn't helped the matter. But it didn't matter, Ethrurrion reminded himself. He and his band had slipped in, and the Humans were none the wiser. And the attack would be starting... soon.

An orange-and-white tufted ear twitched, and Ethrurrion looked at the town, focusing somewhere beyond the houses closest to the forest. Angling his ears forward, the Diablos listened, rewarded a moment later by the sound of a war cry coming faintly through the pre-dawn air. "Be ready!" he called back, not bothering to see if his warriors were obeying. He'd wait for the sun to top the horizon.

For a long moment, Lyn didn't know why she was awake. Laying in the stillness of her room, she listened, sure she had heard a noise which had caused her wakefulness. Now conscious and aware, the Human girl could hear the cries that came from the south end of town. Lyn jumped out of bed and called for Shanda, pulling her dress on over her head.

The girl met her mother at the bottom of the stairs, Shanda looking as frightened as Lyn felt. "Hurry, Lyn! I think we're being attacked, run!" the middle-aged woman ordered, the first light of dawn highlighting her terrified face.

The sound of a door slamming open near-by caught Ethrurrion's attention, and the Mazoku grinned to himself. Time to start. "NOW," he called, running from the trees. He heard the sound of his band running behind him, and before him he saw an old Human woman. As the distance between them closed, Ethrurrion found himself wondering what to do with the woman. She was too old to make a good slave, but should he kill her, or just leave her alone?

No, he decided, not five paces from her. He was a Mazoku, not a monster. It would be cruel to leave her alone in a destroyed village. It would be a mercy to kill her. Three paces, two, and now he was close enough. The feline ears twitched, and Ethrurrion could hear the Human's gasps as she struggled to move her old body faster than it could go.

It was so easy. A hard blow to the base of the skull, and the brittle bones shattered, the neck broke, and the old Human fell to the ground. Ethrurrion spared her a glance, to see if she was truly dead, or only dying. Her eyes were already going blank, her breathing stopped. It was a good kill, clean and swift. He gave a nod, then looked as a scream reached his ears. For a moment, his amber eyes met the brown eyes of a terrified young woman, ten paces away and still screaming, before she turned and ran.

Marie... They'd killed Widow Marie. It didn't seem real to Lyn, it was too fast, too sudden. She'd run outside, seen Marie running toward her, and the mamono, the horrible, murderous mamono, chasing her. She didn't even have time to warn the widow, they'd killed her and they weren't supposed to be here. This wasn't happening. Her scream continued as she ran toward town. This wasn't happening!

The scene that met Lyn in town was not the one of comfort she wanted. Villagers were screaming and running, just like she was, chased by large, armored mamono. Darting to the side, Lyn made a break for the desert, hardly noticing as she ran past Doan.

The carpenter carried a heavy adz and moved through the streets quietly. He'd fought shitake in the forest, nothing as dangerous as the attackers, but it was still combat. He'd already been awake when the attack came, dressing for a day of wood chopping. When the yells started, Doan had grabbed the first thing that came to hand, told Sera to stay in the house with Luke, and gone out to meet the monsters.

Standing silently in an empty doorway, Doan watched a Hench run right past. These Hench, he'd noticed, were red-skinned, not yellow, and wore purple armor, but he gave it little thought as he swung his adz. There was a wet thunk as the improvised weapon broke through the helmet and crushed the skull beneath. With a soft grunt, Doan pulled the adz free, hardly noticing the blood and other detritus that stained the blade.

Lyn screamed again at the edge of town. Two man-like birds had intercepted her as she ran, laughing in a high squawk. She knew she should run, but her feet wouldn't move. "Lady, oh Lady, help me, oh Lady help me," the prayer fell from her lips as a mindless chant.

Ichigin laughed again, turning to his brother. In the Human tongue, he asked, "So, brother, what do you think? A little Human, too scared to run." The younger Freelancer didn't answer, not yet conversant in that language. It didn't matter; Ichigin didn't really care what he thought. The speech was simply to unnerve girl.

The Human's eyes widened when the Mazoku spoke her language. Her useless prayer ended, turned to something less comprehensible, and Ichigin opened his beak in a grin. "Little frightened Human..." he said, reaching for her. His movement was enough to spark her to life. With a strangled cry, she turned and ran, back toward the dying village. A squawk of mocking laughter followed her.

Doan saw Lyn coming, running to the town she'd so recently deserted. In his current state, he only cared that her retreat meant that side of Algetty was blocked too. One thing at a time. She was running straight towards a Hench, so frightened she didn't seem to notice. Hefting the adz, Doan followed Lyn, then passed her as she tripped and fell. With a primal yell, Doan swung the improvised weapon, hitting the slow creature full in the face.

A wet thunk, and another mamono was down. Doan didn't try to keep the grin off his face. They might take the town, but by the Lady, he'd make them pay! He pulled on the adz, and his grin faded. He'd swung too hard, cut to deep. The tool was stuck, and another Hench was coming. Releasing the handle, Doan turned to face the monster, idly wishing that Lyn would stand up, would scream, would do anything other than lay on the ground, watching silently. Or did she even truly see what was happening?

The red Hench was close enough to attack, and with the first swing of a clawed hand Doan realized he was outclassed. This mamono wasn't from the mountain, wasn't local, and wasn't easy. This mamono was fast and strong and knew how to fight. The carpenter looked at the bloodied claw puzzled. Where had the blood come from? He felt a pain in his belly and looked down. Now, when had that happened?

Another sweeping rake of already bloodied claws, and the brave man found himself missing half his face. Thought slowed. He knew he was falling, but he couldn't feel anything. The world was falling silent. _Lady help them,_ he thought, or tried to think. It was too late for him.

Lyn stared at the mutilated form, which lay not three feet away. She couldn't get her mind to work, she couldn't think. Doan couldn't be dead. He had a wife, and a son, a child who was barely three! They needed him. Doan couldn't be dead; he had to take care of his family. She barely noticed as the Hench who'd killed him saw her, hauled her up by the arm, leaving Doan's blood on her sleeve. The strong mamono drug her through the streets, to a group of frightened townsmen. No one was crying, not even the babies. The fear, shock, and horror were too strong.

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Please review if you liked, or hated. I don't care, I just want to know! As per usual, the next chapter should be out in about a week. 


	4. Chapter 3

No, I don't own Chrono Trigger. Also, it's hard figuring out relative distances from the game...

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Esaku sighed a little as he walked through the ravaged town. The news was not as good as he had hoped. True, they had captured the majority of the villagers, not that there were that many to begin with, but the price had been steeper then expected. Two of the elite Hench had fallen, and who could have expected that? Perhaps if there had been soldiers around, but to fall to a simple villager... Esaku cawed sorrowfully, then looked at the terrified captives. 

The soft, inhuman noise drew Lyn's attention, and she looked at the mamono in a distracted sort of way. He wore a leather shirt, with a white hood casting the face into darkness, with only red eyes and a yellow beak showing. A part of her mind registered that this mamono looked like a white version of the darker bird-men who'd confronted her outside of town, but that train of thought lead her back to Doan's death. Around her, the other captives noticed the white-clad bird.

When the bird spoke, Lyn was the least surprised, though that was likely only shock. "So, humans. You are now prisoners of the great Mazoku Army. You will have the privilege of serving us as our slaves."

Gasps and a few soft cries arose from that, the peoples' silencing terror momentarily overcome by anger. Esaku let them murmur for a moment, knowing it would be best to let them get it out of their system. Just as he opened his beak to enforce order, a young man stepped out of the crowd.

"You filthy mamono!" Tobias screamed, sandy brown hair dark with sweat. "How dare you! Make us slaves and call it 'privilege'!?"

Neither he nor the other villagers noticed the feathered man's reaction at the word 'mamono'. It was hard to miss the anger in the clipped words that Esaku used to respond, however. "It is always the privilege of the weak to serve the strong," the answer came.

Vaguely, Lyn noticed an orange and white feline creature circling the captives to stand at the bird's left side, and the fat humanoid coming from the other direction. She was, however, much more concerned for Tobias at the moment. "Don't be an idiot," Lyn mouthed, voice dying less than a pace from her.

Tobias growled at Esaku, for a moment seeming no more Human than the mamono he faced. "I'll show you weak!" The boy leapt at the warrior monster, his face a mask of rage.

The mamono's response distinctly shocked Lyn, even in her state. The bird seemed to sigh before smoothly stepping out of the way, seeming to draw his sword as he did so. A clawed hand lifted, and then fell, but there was no flash of metal. The sheathed blade connected with Tobias' skull with an audible thwack, and the Human boy fell to the ground.

"Anyone _else_ wish to have a go, or will you concede to reason?" the mamono said, thrusting his sheathed weapon back through his belt. When there was no response, he nodded to himself. "For what it matters, and to save time in the future, I am the Battle Captain Esaku, and I am the one in charge. I will assume you have enough wit to tell Mazoku apart from your own pitiful race, so all that remains now is for you to accept your place. The sooner you admit you are under our command, the easier you will find it goes for you." He stopped there, looking over the captives once more. They seemed to understand him. In a slightly quieter tone, meant as a direct command to the Humans nearest him, Esaku added, "One of you take this young fool in hand. The next time _any_ of you try to defy your betters in such a manner, I will not be as merciful."

The initial orientation finished, Esaku gave the order to move out, trusting Ethrurrion and Blanim to see that it was obeyed. There were a few more terse commands, and then the enlarged group left, flames beginning to rise from the dead town they left.

For Lyn, the day passed in a haze. Like the rest of the villagers, she'd been hobbled, and her hands bound. The rope around her legs would stop her from running, but she could walk well enough. The mamono didn't seem to care if their captives spoke, but they never allowed the Humans to converse for long, often driving them apart with whips if the warning glares didn't work.

Lyn had found Tobias, held upright by Maris and Sera, both of whom had their hands unbound so they could help him. Lyn was glad to see Luke, currently walking next to his mother, looking dazed. She didn't tell Sera about Doan, somehow knowing that this was not the right time. Even though Tobias was bound, this knot of people was watched very closely by the large purple mamono, and Lyn found herself driven away with no warning, the whip nicking her arm.

Looking at the cut the whip had opened, Lyn sighed, trying to weigh the value of healing herself over the energy it would cost her. She quickly decided that it was better to be tired than to risk the injury festering, and came to a halt, praying to the Lady that she'd have the few moments needed to use her tech. She didn't see the slave driver raising his whip to drive her forward again, or Esaku's quick headshake. The cool power of her healing tingled around the cut, and the flesh was soon whole again, much to her relief.

Thinking that no one had objected to her momentary pause, Lyn started looking around for her mother. She'd been sure Shanda was right behind her as she left the house, but then that... _mamono_ had slaughtered poor Widow Marie, and... Lyn shook her head. She couldn't afford to deal with that right now.

It didn't take Lyn all that long to find Shanda. Her mother was unharmed, purple hair stuck to her plump face by sweat and tears. For a long moment, the older woman didn't seem to notice Lyn, and when she did there were more tears, and desperate, brief words of comfort. Once again, the mamono didn't allow them to talk long, though Lyn was able to stay longer than she had with Sera.

Esaku was setting a fast pace, and soon any attempts at conversation died from sheer exhaustion. Mahew might have been able to guess where they were going, but nobody had seen him since before the attack. Tobias or Maris, if they had thought, would have known as well, but each mostly had the other on their minds, and so it was that nobody understood the importance of the cave when they reached it at sunset.

The group stopped just inside the cave, and most of the captives simply collapsed onto the damp stone, asleep almost before they were prone. Only a few had the energy to remain awake, or to wonder at the low rumbling that briefly filled the cave. A few braziers were lit, and the mamono settled down, a few of the feline ones taking up what appeared to be guard posts.

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Please, leave a review! I'm getting a little desperate here... --; 


	5. Chapter 4

I still don't own Chrono Trigger. Only the cartridge. Mahew remains not mine. I actually enjoy this chapter.

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It was impossible to tell the time it was when Lyn awoke, roused by the discomfort of a rock digging into her side. The cave was still closed; the entrance sealed by solid stone and, most likely, magic. There were only a few torches scattered about to provide light. One of the white-furred mamono walked quickly through the mass of captives, untying them and handing something to each Human. When it reached Lyn, she found the creature was handing out food. She frowned at the closeness of the monster, but took the bread it offered.

While Lyn ate the hard bread, she looked around a little more, as the guards seemed more relaxed now. Tobias caught her eye, standing empty handed with a large scowl on his face. It seemed he'd either been skipped, or refused the food offered. Thinking about that, Lyn put half her meal away for later.

Nobody was really moving about, most seeming to busy with their small meal, but Lyn was restless. Moving slowly, she found Sera and Luke, absently noticing that the child had been given a softer meal, which was easier for him to eat.

"How... how's Luke, Sera?" Lyn asked quietly, kneeling beside the woman. Sera, however, didn't answer, staring at Lyn blankly. Lyn gasped softly when she looked in Sera's eyes. They had gone dead. "...Sera?"

A gentle tug on her sleeve shifted Lyn's attention to Luke, who was watching her with large blue eyes. When he saw that she was looking at him, Luke pointed at his mother with a questioning look on his face. Lyn started to shake her head unconsciously. Any thoughts she might have had, however, were broken by a shrill, birdlike cry from the mamono that called itself Esaku.

The sound was apparently a signal. The fat purple things started getting the slaves on their feet, a little rough but not particularly malicious. Most of the other Humans, noticing what was occurring, stood of their own volition, but Sera remained seated, staring into nothing.

"Sera? Sera, come on, it's... we have to go," Lyn urged, taking the woman's arm and trying to pull her up. By now, they were the only Humans not standing, a fact Lyn was very aware of. "Sera, come _on_," she insisted, tugging at the unresponsive limb.

Esaku pushed past the watching people, Humans and mamono both. Sharp hawk eyes looked from the apathetic Sera to the kneeling Lyn, and then he asked, "Why has she withdrawn?"

It was impossible to say if there was more hate or fear in the look Lyn answered Esaku with. "Why do you _think_ she's like this? You _killed_ her husband, may the Lady damn you, you slaughtered him, and destroyed our town, and you _dare_ to ask why Sera's comatose! You have no hearts, if you have to ask,_mamono_!"

Without warning, Esaku backhanded Lyn, ending the rant. "I asked for information, not insults, _Human_," and he gave the word the same bite Lyn had just used. Gesturing a Hench over, he ordered, still in the Human tongue, "Take the unresponsive Human outside, on the Zenan side, and leave her."

Lyn watched the exchange silently, a bruise slowly forming on her cheek from the mamono's assault. The Hench's response mirrored her own confusion, as it asked, "But... why not jus' kill 'er, Esaku?"

"We are Mazoku, Blanim, not monsters. And anyway, we don't want the creatures of this cave coming out to hunt us," the bird-creature answered softly. As the Hench slowly nodded and moved to carry out its order, Esaku looked at the Humans, who by now had backed up quite a bit, leaving Lyn and Luke in the middle with him. In a much louder voice, he addressed them all, gesturing slightly to the boy. "Who among you will care for this child, then?" Fierce eyes surveyed the sheepish slaves as Esaku, by the force of his question, drew attention away from Blanim, who was now carrying Sera away.

Esaku waited only a few heartbeats before letting out a caw of disgust and beckoning to Luke. The boy didn't understand what was going on, and followed the silent order, going to stand beside the mamono, staring at him in the same solemn manner he had stared at Lyn. Cutting off any outcry, Esaku placed a clawed hand on the boy's shoulder. "As you are unwilling to care for one of your own, then I shall take him. Now start walking!" With Luke at his side, the bird strode away, deeper into the cave.

Mahew paused in his crawling when he heard a low rumble coming from the direction he was going. He'd been sleeping when the attack came, and when the Hench came to burn his house Mahew had been glad it was half-underground. The fire had destroyed the supports, but the soft earth that had buried him had also protected him from the flames.

Once he'd dug out of his grave, Mahew had begun crawling towards the cave he remembered. Most of the townspeople were missing, and if that cave _were_ the path the mamono used to reach the Zenan continent, then they would be taking the captives to the cave. All his life, ever since his wife died, he'd been called 'that stupid drunk', 'troublemaker'. No one listened to him, and in his more sober moments, he couldn't blame them. But now, Mahew had a chance to be a hero, at least to some people.

He paused a moment when he heard the grate of the cave opening, and then began crawling faster, ignoring the further damage to already-injured legs.. The thought that he could reach the cave before the captives were herded through was killed a few moments later, as the rumble filled the area again. If he'd the breath to spare, Mahew would have cursed.

It was many long moments before Mahew could see the flat expanse of mountain that sometimes housed a cave mouth. In the field, heedless of the wind which kicked up, was only a woman, sprawled on the grass like she had been carelessly dropped there. Mahew paused a moment, wondering if he wanted to just turn around, crawl to Dorino, and forget these last two days in the warm burn of sake. But that would just prove what everyone said about him. He'd been a man once, not a very good man, but a man, with a family, and honor. Dear Lady, what had he become?

Resolve cutting through the desire for a bottle and a warm bed, Mahew pulled himself forward, blood marking the green of the grass he passed over. Slowly, the face of the woman grew clearer, and he realized Sera was staring off into space. He knew that look, the look of the dead. Her body lived, but Mahew wasn't sure how much of 'Sera' was left.

He reached Sera's side and took a hand. "We... gotta get out of here, Sera. C'mon, show some life. Move, damn it," Mahew ordered roughly, fear coming out as anger. To his surprise, Sera did move, dead eyes taking in his form with something like wonderment. Again, Mahew urged, "We have to go, Sera."

Slowly, mechanically, Sera gathered her legs under her and stood. Mahew watched from the ground, waiting for her to help him up, but no help was forthcoming. Sera, once standing, remained so, once more staring blankly, though this time her eyes were towards Mahew. Finally he asked, "Are you just gonna let me lay here? Help me up!"

Sera's reaction was as slow and mechanical as all of her movements were now. She helped the injured man stand, and made no protest when he clung to her. Mahew was beginning to realize she only did what he directly told her to do, and so he ordered her to begin walking. If he remembered correctly, there was a family living in the woods a little way to the west, where the desert overtook the trees. Slowly, the pair left the field, making for the forest and possible safety.

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As always, please review. I very much enjoy dialog with my readers. Also as always, next chapter in about a week. And for the record, Janus should show up in a few more chapters, promise. 


	6. Chapter 5

I still don't own Chrono Trigger. I do, however, own all the characters in this chapter. Yay! Things get a little nastier in this chapter, and I'm realizing I should probably increase the rating soon. No one thing is too bad, but the accumulation might push it over, and better safe than sorry.

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It was hard to walk in a cave, Lyn quickly learned, especially with the blue flames the mamono used for illumination. The cold light flickered and jumped, revealing very little to the eyes of the Humans. The floor of the cave was not smooth, but the inadequate light hid any unevenness.

Lyn was so focused on walking without stumbling that she didn't notice when Maris came up beside her. "Lyn? Hey, Lyn!" Maris hissed, trying to get the other girl to look somewhere besides her feet.

Blinking, Lyn looked up. "Oh... Maris."

"Poor Sera, huh? And these damn monsters... I don't even wanna know what that _thing_ will do to Luke..." as Maris spoke, she looked around furtively. "But... hey, Lyn? Tobias asked me to spread the word. When he gives the signal, if everyone jumps those monsters, well... I bet we'd be able to beat them, if we take them by surprise."

Lyn didn't answer, silently raising a hand to her cheek where Esaku had struck her. Any protest she might have raised was cut off, however, as Maris scurried away. Tobias thought they would be able to fight their way free of the mamono? Lyn thought in silence, watching Maris go from group to group.

Remembering Maris' mention of Luke, Lyn took her gaze from the baker's daughter and looked around for the child. Much to her surprise, she found him being carried by Esaku. The boy was clinging to the mamono's side, and the creature's left arm was supporting the boy. Lyn was so taken aback that she forgot the unevenness of the ground and nearly fell.

It was then that Tobias yelled. A cry of "Now!" split the echoing stillness of the cave, and the captives reacted. Men and women flung themselves at the mamono, various curses on their lips. Lyn stood alone silently in the chaos. In those first few confused seconds, she noticed Esaku pushing Luke behind him, placing himself between the boy and the fight. Lyn twitched, her body trying to enter the combat while her mind froze. A hand again rose to her cheek, where a bruise blossomed from the mamono's earlier blow, and then Lyn stopped, body and mind in agreement. They stood no chance against the monsters, none of them did. To fight now was only to invite needless harm.

Only a few heartbeats passed in strife. The mamono easily subdued their captives, and when it was over, most of the attackers were on the cave floor, most bleeding from small wounds. With a truly enraged caw, Esaku strode through the softly moaning captives, aiming unerringly for Tobias, who was far to the back of his 'troops'.

Kneeling on the ground, with more than a few cuts, Tobias glared at Esaku, murder in his eyes even as he struggled to stand upright. He was too slow, however, as the mamono buried his claw in the Human's hair and pulled him along. Not sparing a glance at his defiant captive, Esaku drug him to the Hench, throwing the boy to them with an ugly snarl.

Two of the Hench caught Tobias, holding his arms in such a manner that he was forced to kneel, nearly immobile, while Esaku surveyed the Humans again. The few moans had silenced, and now everyone watched him, waiting to see the result of his displeasure. Idly, the Outlaw noticed the healer girl, watching him with a strange understanding in her eyes. She had not, it appeared, taken part in the rebellion, though one hand caressed the bruise he had given her.

Satisfied with the attention he held, Esaku drew his sword. No need to dirty his claws with the blood of a fool, after all. With a clean, precise stroke, the iron sword cut into the boy's belly, letting the intestines out as he watched dazedly.

"This boy was a fool!" Esaku screeched out, turning to the Humans and silencing them before they began to scream. "As were all of you, willing to fight while your 'leader' cowered behind you! You do**not** attack your betters, and you do not follow fools!" The pain had pierced the boy's numbness, and now he began to scream, moaning out some prayer to the Lady the Humans worshiped. It was no matter, he simply needed to speak louder to be heard over the screams. Warrior willing, this would be the last such demonstration needed to drive the point home to the stupid Humans. "If any of you seek to follow this boy's footsteps, it will not only be YOU in his place. I **will** kill everyone involved in any future rebellions, and I will not be so merciful to them!" His piece said, and the Humans sufficiently cowed, at least for now, Esaku spun and ended the screaming by neatly removing the boy's head.

In the stunned silence that followed, there was a soft thud as the Hench holding Tobias' body let it drop. Lyn looked at the headless neck for a moment, strangely dispassionate. It had been obvious they would loose... why had anyone followed Tobias' lead? Why hadn't they stopped him? Why hadn't she?

Lyn barely noticed as the Diablos got the remaining captives together and the march recommenced. She followed the herd numbly, seeing but not noticing that Esaku had sheathed his sword and now carried Luke again. She didn't even notice when her mother came up, seeking comfort in the guise of offering comfort. When the day ended, and the slave line was lead out of the caves into the dusk, Lyn muttered "He was wrong." But if she was talking about Esaku or Tobias, not even she was sure.

The ground outside the cave was hard packed and dry. The sky was purple, the sun already below the horizon, and in the remaining light, almost nothing of this new land could be seen. Lyn stopped moving when Shanda pulled her to a stop, tugging on her hand lightly, trying to get her to sit down.

It was the groans of the wounded that stirred her to life again. As they were allowed to rest, those who had been hurt began voicing their pain. Almost automatically, Lyn began moving among them, healing the worst of the wounds, though she tried not to use her energy too fast. More than once, a captive with a less than major wound would insist on receiving healing.

Esaku had been watching the healer girl ever since the execution. As soon as he realized what was going on, how the Humans were abusing her skill, he handed the child to Ethrurrion and went to intervene. "Why are you healing them, healer girl?" he asked softly, stepping between the girl and the next person she was trying to heal.

Lyn looked at him with confused brown eyes. "They're _hurting_," she answered bitterly, with a tone that said her reasons ought to be perfectly obvious.

"They brought it on themselves," the Outlaw reminded in a voice that said _his_ point was just as obvious. Lyn didn't immediately answer, and Esaku took a moment to look around. The Humans were healed well enough to make it to town tomorrow, so he made a suggestion. "If you want to be of help, heal my Diablos."

Glancing at the felines, Lyn considered Esaku's words. He did have a point, and the feline mamono did look like they could use healing. And she had to do something, she had to put right what Tobias' foolishness had made wrong. With a small nod, she started toward the Diablos, only to give a small yelp as Herbert, one of the town elders, quickly moved to block her.

"What are you doing?" the old Human hissed. "You'd heal those monsters while your own people are still injured and in pain?"

Esaku sent Herbert a viscous glare at that statement. "We are Mazoku, not monsters!" he insisted, a cold thread of anger lacing the stern voice.

"I don't think we should make him mad, Herbert," Lyn said quietly, lifelessly trying to calm Herbert. "I don't want anyone else to die." Without waiting for a response, she slipped past the old man and went to the most injured of the Diablos.

Lyn was barely thinking at this point, using the mental patterns of her Tech to stop her thoughts. She didn't want to think about what she was doing, or the way Tobias had died. She went from Diablos to Diablos, only healing the worst of the damage, and not even noticing that they never asked for more.

When she finished, Lyn sought out her mother, too exhausted to have any choice BUT think now, mind spinning over the day's events. 'Mazoku, not monsters…' Esaku had said that twice now, and she wondered about the proud distinction he made between the two.

Lyn barely noticed when Shanda handed her some bread, the meal having been distributed while Lyn healed. Her mind was full, trying to understand how one being could be so cruel, and yet… and yet what? He hadn't killed Sera in her catatonia, but was that a form of kindness? Numbly eating the hard bread, Lyn looked for the bird. A Hench shifted, going about his business, and Lyn saw Esaku, feeding Luke a piece of fruit. Dropping her eyes and feeling almost embarrassed, Lyn finished her own meal before dropping into sleep. Exhaustion had at least one benefit that night, as her sleep was free of dreams and nightmares alike.

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Tobias' idiocracy aside, I rather liked this chapter, actually. I dunno, maybe I just like Esaku. Anyway, for Lizard's sake, PLEASE review! It's depressing having readers but no reviews... 


	7. Chapter 6

And here we get our first look at Mazoku civilization. I don't own Chrono Trigger, yadda yadda, you know this by now. I do, to the best of my knowledge, own the idea of the lands being salted, but it really doesn't matter, and feel free to use.

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The sun woke those who had been able to sleep. Dawn seemed very bright after the dark of the caves, illuminating a scraggly, diseased looking land. Brown weeds struggled to grow from dried soil, while dead trees pointed at the sky, bleached white by sun and time. On the horizon, a green smudge hinted at life.

The sight was unsettling enough to pull the slaves from their self-pity, at least for a while. Herbert whistled lowly in amazement. "I'd heard o' this," he said to those nearest him, his voice blowing back to the rest. "I'd heard stories, 'bout how the army salted this land, when it were clear they had t'leave. I didn't... I hadn't thought they'd actually done it. Didn't think..." He trailed off, not sure where he was going with his statement.

"You thought your kind was above salting the lands of their enemies?" Esaku cawed, grimly amused. "And you call us the monsters." With a small shake of his head, the Outlaw turned away from his captives, motioning to the Diablos to pass the food out. Looking across the land again, he sighed. He was surprised any of the Humans remembered what had happened here, let alone the troublesome old man from last night. He'd been a mere chick when the Human army was driven from a land they had only claimed because of their refusal to let the Mazoku have anything. This land had been fertile then, green and freely giving its bounty. Humans had ruined it, just as they ruined everything.

Tired of his memories, Esaku watched the captives eat, searching for the healer girl. She could be quite an asset, if she survived the trip, and if he could acquire her once they reached the castle. He wouldn't let it worry him, though. Once they were at the castle, he should easily be able to call in a few favors and purchase her before her abilities were noticed.

The healer girl looked tired, worn out in a way the Outlaw recognized as magical exhaustion. He hadn't realized how low her magical power was, and inwardly he frowned. He should have intervened much earlier, or maybe he shouldn't have invited her to heal the Diablos. Well he couldn't change the past, but Esaku made a mental note to stop the girl if she attempted a healing today. She would be completely useless if she burned out.

Lyn ate dully, staring out at the strange land apathetically. She had heard the story just now, and heard the disbelieving whispers that followed it, but she just couldn't bring herself to care. She was tired, a bone-deep exhaustion she had never experienced before. She wondered where they were going, and how much further she'd have to walk, but she couldn't even bring herself to care about that.

As the walking began again, Shanda broke the silence that hung about Lyn like a fog. "Are you okay, Lyn?"

"Am I...? What do you mean?" Lyn said. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" She was fine, physically, aside from being tired.

"Well, I mean, Tobias was about your age," Shanda answered, fluttering her hands about in helpless gestures. "I mean, I understand that it would be disturbing, watching one of your friends... And like that, so..."

It required a bit of thought for Lyn to realize what her mother was getting at. "Mom... have you forgotten what I've _seen_? I mean, well, yes, what Esaku did was horrible, but... why did Tobias think we stood a chance? These things killed _Doan_, and yet we were supposed to..." Something about the look Shanda was giving her stopped Lyn's words. Shanda appeared confused, but there was horror and even disgust lurking in her expression. Lyn wondered what she had said to cause such a look to be directed at her. "You... should go see how Maris is doing. Tobias was her..."

Something in Shanda's expression closed off, and she nodded with an almost brittle air. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she stated, scurrying off before Lyn could say anything more.

Lyn sighed as her mother left, wondering exactly what had just happened. As the dusty, nearly dead miles passed, she got no closer to an answer.

Fiddling with her belt, Lyn came across the bread she'd put away yesterday. Had it really been just yesterday that she had put this aside, planning to eat it or give it to Tobias later? And yet, just hours after that, Tobias had... Had what? Had acted the hero, refusing to let his people suffer, or acted the fool, leading his people into suicide? Last night she had said he was wrong, but whom had she been talking about? Nibbling on the stale bread, Lyn walked through the salted desert, thoughts chasing themselves in circles.

As the sun began to set, the group reached a town, filled with mamono going about their business. Lyn watched one, a short blue thing, chattering animatedly with another short creature, this one green. They weren't watching where they were going very well, and one of the Diablos shooed the duel-colored pair away from the captives.

Further snatches of life caught Lyn's gaze as they were hurried through the streets. A woman who was half snake slithered by, with a baby in her arms, chattering animatedly to a darker furred variant of the cat-guards. Lyn couldn't understand what they were saying, but her exhausted mind found it easy to imagine a pair of Human women in their place. Further down the street, one of the large Hench stomped by, a large catch of fish on its back.

Before long the Humans were brought to a large enclosure made out of stones roughly laid together, no mortar at the joints. They were quickly herded in, and the door shut behind them. The roof looked like straw covering a wicker weave, not really enough to block water, should it rain, but it would help keep some heat in. The last of the sunlight pierced though the odd uneven joints between the stones, and the Humans were left to their own devices.

"I wonder where they're takin' us," Daril said, sitting on the ground with two of his girls with him. Maris, in the comforting arms of her other sister, sat near her father, looking toward the door a little blankly.

Herbert, the old man who had explained about the salting, answered with a small shrug. "I don't know the lay of this land so well, but if I had to guess… Well, if we're lucky, this is our destination, but somehow, I don't think so."

That provoked the expected question, a young man asking, "So… if we're _not_ lucky…?"

"This here's a port town," the oldster explained, nodding wisely. "They might be meaning to ship us right across the ocean."

"Across the… But, isn't that where…" the baker stammered, concerned.

"Yeah. That's where the Maou's castle is. And if we're really unlucky…" the old man trailed off grimly. The captives gave a collective shudder at the thought that they might be headed towards the Maou's castle. As bad as the mamono were, their king was said to be a hundred times worse.

Lyn sat in a corner, resting her back against the cool stone. There was apparently a guard near-by; she could hear the quiet, almost growling, voice of one of the Diablos. She couldn't understand a word it was saying, but she found that the language wasn't unpleasant to listen too. By turning her head a little, she could look out through a crack and occasionally see a mamono pass by. _Mazoku…_ the word drifted into Lyn's thoughts. That was right, she mused sleepily. The leader, Esaku, had seemed to be upset when she'd called him a mamono. And then he'd told that Hench that they were Mazoku, not monsters. In fact, he'd seemed pretty proud of the distinction. Mazoku… Well, it wouldn't hurt, would it, to try and please her captors? She'd do it, she decided. She'd start calling them Mazoku, or at least she'd try.

A full day of walking coupled with the still-lingering exhaustion of overusing her Tech, combined with the lulling rhythm of the Mazoku's speech soon pulled Lyn into sleep. Her dreams were confused and disjointed, and she was glad to leave them forgotten when the door opened sometime before sunrise. Standing, she realized she had kinks all in her back and neck from sleeping while sitting.

No food was passed out this morning, a fact the half-awake Humans didn't notice immediately. They didn't have much time to think about it, as they were quickly marched through the town in the pre-dawn light until they reached a quay. Staring at a large sailing ship, the conversation from last night echoed in the captives' minds. It seemed they were unlucky, though just how unlucky remained to be seen.

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Next chapter, an ocean voyage. 


	8. Chapter 7

I rather like this chapter, too. Got a soft spot for Pelta. Anyways, I don't own Chrono Trigger. And you are, btw, free to borrow my characters (Except Lyn), just tell me if you do, k? So, on with the story.

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Esaku noticed the Humans' fear increase as they looked at the ship, but he paid them no mind. He had more important things to worry about, like getting his captives on the ship before they realized what was going on. Things had been bad enough this trip, and the last thing he needed was more trouble. "Hey! Hey there!" he called, trying to get someone's attention.

A Human man came up by the gangway, wearing Mazoku fashion and waving. "Ahoy there, Battle-Captain!" he called, speaking Medinian with a light accent. "Capt'n Ialinu told me about ya. I'm Pelta, second mate of the _Mystic Dawn._ If ya want, y'can start loading anytime!"

Ialinu hadn't mentioned that he had a Human as second mate. This could prove interesting, Esaku thought, nodding at Pelta. Ostensibly turning to order Blanim and Ethrurrion to start getting the slaves on board, the Outlaw used the time to watch the slaves' reaction to Pelta.

Pelta came to stand near Esaku, careful to maintain a respectable distance. Commenting on the stares and murmurs that came his way, Pelta asked quietly, "They never seen a Human-born before?"

"Most haven't. They still think we're _monsters_," Esaku answered, watching as his captives began to climb the gangway to the ship.

"Ah, yes…" Pelta sighed, half-laughing. Sudden movement around Esaku's feet drew Pelta's attention as Luke peered around the Outlaw's legs. "Well ahoy there," the man smiled. Luke simply looked at him with his big blue eyes. "He gonna be another Human-born?"

A clawed hand came to rest on Luke's head. "You know that's up to him. But if I have anything to say about it, then he will."

"You know most 'is age are smart." Looking up, Pelta frowned. "If you'll excuse me, Battle-Captain, I have to go." Without waiting for a reply, the second mate ran off, yelling at some Hench who were loading boxes onto the ship.

Luke tugged lightly at Esaku's hand. When the Outlaw looked down, Luke pointed at Pelta with his injured arm, normal solemn gaze turning questioning. "It's okay," Esaku answered. "He's like you." Repeating his words in the Human language, "He's like you. Human-born, but Mazoku."

Lyn, like most of the captives, was taken by surprise when a Human showed up, apparently in a position of some authority on the ship. She watched with undisguised curiosity as he casually chatted with Esaku, both of them using the lilting Mazoku language. She wondered why he was working with the Mazoku, as he didn't appear to be a …slave. Had he… _chosen_ this life, she wondered, and what was his status in it?

"Oh, by the Lady!" Shanda gasped quietly, watching the man smile with Luke. "It's… a… mamono _sympathizer_. Blessed Lady, I'd heard rumors…" There was nothing but disgust in Shanda's voice and hatred in her gaze.

As the man ran off, actually _yelling_ at some Hench, Lyn took her eyes from him, looking at her mother for a moment, then paying attention to her footing as they climbed the gangplank. "He looks pretty comfortable living here…" she ventured.

"He _works_ for the _mamono_. He lives like one of them! He's not even Human anymore, he's nothing but a _traitor_," Shanda hissed, carefully keeping her voice low so she didn't attract attention.

Lyn nodded a little. "Yeah… I guess he is." She hadn't thought of it that way. Of course choosing to join the Mazoku would be betraying the Humans. But then, she'd never even heard that there might be the chance to make such a choice. It didn't really matter, she decided. She'd probably never have to make that choice herself.

Food was handed out as they were pushed below decks, more of the same stale bread and water. The people were so busy eating that they didn't realize how dark and crowded it was until the doors were shut and they were closed in. They sat in the dimly lit hold listening to the sounds above them as the Mazoku went about their business. The ship wasn't moving yet as they had been loaded early, while the streets of the city were clear.

In the dark there wasn't much to do besides talk, but talking led to depressing thoughts, and soon most were quiet, a few trying to catch more sleep. Maris sat with her family, apparently still in shock, but occasionally responding to their conversation. The older people sat together, speaking in low tones in some sort of argument. With nothing to do, Lyn started circulating through the villagers, asking if any had injuries they wanted healed.

"But what happens if…" an old woman asked, voice rising from the murmur the other oldsters were using. She was quickly shushed, and the villagers studiously ignored the group.

Lyn glanced around and felt her heart sink. The elders of the village… They couldn't be foolish enough to be thinking about another attempt at escape, could they? She picked her way closer, stopping and offering healing now and again, until she was close enough to eavesdrop.

"Are you really willing to live the rest of your life serving these mamono? To let your children and grandchildren live out their lives under mamono rule?" Herbert asked.

The woman from earlier shook her head, obviously coming around to his way of thinking. "No… I wouldn't wish that life on anyone."

"So then. Tonight—" he stopped and looked up at Lyn. "What d'ya want, girl?"

Lyn looked at the man with shadowed brown eyes. "Are you… planing to revolt again?" she asked quietly.

"You got a problem with that? You maybe _want_ to serve the mamono the rest of your short life? But then maybe you do,_healer girl_," Herbert sneered, twisting the title that he had heard Esaku give her.

"They'll kill you," Lyn answered, left hand unconsciously raising to cover the bruise Esaku had given her. "You heard them. You can't win, and they'll kill you." Her voice was hollow, insistent.

Herbert stood and hit Lyn, hard, knocking her to the ground. She caught herself with her free hand, biting off a cry of pain, and looked up to find no pity in his dark eyes. "Better dead than serving the mamono!" he hissed. "You think you can just sit back and sprout self-righteous nonsense? You're practically one yourself, girl, with your unnatural healing, and everybody knows it!"

He raised his hand to hit her again, but the old woman stopped him. "Don't worry about her. There's nothing she can do, just ignore her."

As he sat down, Lyn staggered to her feet, hand now on the other side of her face, covering the new injury. As she tottered away, no one would meet her eye, looking away or down, almost seeming ashamed. Lyn picked her way through the people, hardly noticing how a path was cleared for her, until she reached the stairs to the upper deck. She collapsed onto them and started to shake.

"Don't… the Mazoku will kill you all," she muttered, thoughts leaving her mouth without conscious filter. "Why are you throwing your lives away… What do you hope to gain? Isn't any life at all better than death?"

She could tell Esaku. The thought came softly, insidious in it's logic. If she told him now, maybe he could stop it. Maybe… maybe the Mazoku wouldn't kill as many. But then she'd be a traitor. She'd have sold out her own kind, even though she would do it to save them… If she told Esaku, it wouldn't be any different than if she killed them herself. But was there a difference if she stayed silent? The ship began to move, a rocking motion that seemed to fit the rhythm of her thoughts. If she told Esaku, she would be a traitor, if she were silent she would allow the elders to die. And if she joined the rebellion… she would die.

Across the hold, Lyn saw her mother. There was something dark and frightened in Shanda's eyes, but Lyn didn't get long to look. When she realized her daughter was looking at her, Shanda turned away.

Hatred. There had been hatred in the old man's voice, his eyes. Herbert had lived in Algetty before Lyn was born, had known her for her whole life, and he had looked at her with hatred. Her gift, her healing tech, which had saved so many, had… earned her his hatred, his disdain.

The door opened, and everyone in the hold looked towards it, squinting at the light which spilled in. The marmalade Diablos entered and glanced about the room, finally noticing Lyn sitting at the bottom of the steps, seemingly unaware of him. "You, girl," Ethrurrion said, trying to get her attention.

When nobody else answered, Lyn slowly turned her head. Ethrurrion rolled his eyes impatiently. "Yes, you, girl. Get up, you're wanted."

Lyn turned away from the Diablos, then stood. Briefly looking at the small knot of elders, she shivered when Herbert looked back. She turned around and hesitantly climbed the stairs, approaching Ethrurrion. Once he was sure she would follow, Ethrurrion turned and lead her to the deck.

Blinking briefly at the sunlight, Lyn trailed after the Diablos, ignoring the various sailor Mazoku going about their jobs. Ethrurrion stopped at a cabin door and motioned for Lyn to enter. Entering, she stopped a few steps in, as the door closed behind her.

"Healer girl," Esaku acknowledged, sitting on a bed, Luke beside him. "I assume you had been healing this boy?"

Lyn staggered a few steps closer, looking blankly at Luke. When she spoke, it was hesitantly. "Yes… sir."

"I would like you to finish," he ordered, standing and moving away from Luke a little. Lyn moved past him almost without noticing, kneeling before Luke and reaching for his injured arm. "What happened to him? That looks to have been a bad wound," Esaku asked, keeping his voice low. He wanted her comfortable around him, and around his people, if for no reason other than that would improve her healing.

"He found his father's chisel. He was playing with it. He tripped. Sera ran to find me, and I did what I could," Lyn answered, staring at the half-healed wound.

"Why aren't you healing it?" Esaku asked, noticing her inaction.

She turned her head to look at him, and the Outlaw blinked rapidly when he saw the new bruise. "It's better for the body to heal naturally. Using an unnatural skill like I have will weaken the body, and it will loose its healing ability."

"What?" Esaku squawked in surprise. "Who told you that drivel? The faster a wound is healed, the less chance it has of festering, and how a power you were born with can be counted unnatural… Humans never cease to amaze me with their superstitious assumptions."

"It… won't hurt him?"

Esaku shook his head while Luke solemnly looked on. "No, healer girl. The healing you wield won't hurt the body. That is a lie which I must assume comes from fear."

Lyn studied Esaku, and again he allowed her boldness. After a while she nodded and gave her attention to Luke. A white aura built around the Human girl, and she carefully directed it to Luke. In a matter of moments, the wound scared completely. When she stopped, it looked like it had been healed for years.

"Sit. Rest a little," Esaku ordered, motioning at the bed. Lyn did as he said, fear flickering in her eyes to die at the hands of apathy.

Esaku poured a little wine, then handed Lyn the glass. Motioning at the new bruise, larger and far uglier than the one he had given her, he asked, "What happened?"

Realizing through the fog of her confusion that this was the time to make her choice, Lyn hesitated. Now was the time to tell the Outlaw about the festering rebellion, if ever she was going to. Nervously, she sipped the wine she'd been given, thoughts whirling about her head.

"I don't like being lied to, healer girl," Esaku said quietly, allowing a hint of warning to color his tone.

Lyn looked at pitiless golden hawkeyes, and found them more welcoming then that hate-filled eyes of the elder from her own village. "They're doing it again," she whispered. "They still think they can achieve something besides their own deaths. Please, sir! Please, you can stop them. You can make it so that… so that less people die! Please…"

Esaku tilted his head a little, trying to fathom what the Human's heartfelt plea had to do with a new bruise on her face. "You already tried to stop them, didn't you?" he guessed. Lyn looked down, all the answer he needed. "If they won't listen to the voice of reason from within, what do you think I can do, healer girl?"

"You… could stop the Mazoku. Or… I could… tell you who the leaders are…" Lyn's last suggestion barely made it from her lips.

"They know what will happen to them, healer. If they choose suicide, who am I to stop them?" Esaku placed clawed fingers under her chin, lifting her face to his. "You call us Mazoku now?"

Even facing him, Lyn didn't lift her eyes to his again. "The other word seemed to insult you."

Sensing he had pushed as far as she could take, Esaku dropped his hand and moved away from Lyn. "Finish your drink. If they continue to give you troubles, find a Mazoku and ask for help." He said the last word in his own tongue.

Lyn quickly drained the glass, then sounded out the new word, "H-help?"

"Just like that. Ethrurrion will take you back to the hold. I suggest you heal your face."

His words were clearly a dismissal, and Lyn stood. Cautiously, she reached towards the table where he'd gotten the wine, and placed her glass down. Opening the door, she slipped out, silently following the Diablos.

Esaku sighed, a soft caw, and looked at Luke. "Healing will weaken the body… Sweet Warrior, where do they get these things? So quick to turn on themselves, how have Humans survived this long?"

There was a light knock at the door, and then Ethrurrion let himself in. "I've got an extra watch on them," the feline said, anticipating his commander's first question. "So, what's her status?"

"Sympathetic, I think. She told me they're planing _another_ rebellion, and begged me to stop it with as small a loss of life as possible," Esaku answered off-handedly.

"When I went in, she was on the steps, and no one would quite look at her. You think she'll need rescuing?"

"Possibly. I told her what to do."

Ethrurrion bowed and left the room. He'd worked with Esaku for years, and could tell when the Outlaw mercenary was working on plans. The green-haired girl obviously figured in his plans, but it didn't bother the Diablos. Anything that would benefit Esaku would sooner or later benefit the group, and that was why he was such a good and respected leader.

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Dum dum DUM! The introspection is begining to come to an end, really it is. Janus is in, like... three more chapters, I think. And please, will one of my ten readers review? Thank You. 


	9. Chapter 8

Praise the Liberators, I got a review! Major thank you to Garnithor for not only read and reviewing THIS fic, but for seemingly taking the time to read the original and comparing them! You really made me day. Don't worry, the number of characters you need to keep track of SHOULD drop this chapter... that said, on with the fic. I still don't own Chrono Trigger.

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Back in the darkness of the hold, Lyn stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting for her eyes to adjust after the sunlight. Once she could make out enough not to trip, she picked her way to a corner of the room and sat, looking blankly ahead. After a few moments, Shanda scurried over, stopping a couple of paces from her daughter. 

"A-are you okay, Lyn?" Shanda asked, crouching to bring herself onto eye level. "Th-those mamono didn't … didn't do anything to you?"

Lyn blinked a little and shook her head. "No. The Mazoku didn't do anything," she stressed the word 'Mazoku'. "He wanted me to finish healing Luke." Remembering Esaku's other… suggestion, Lyn traced her twin bruises, surprised at how easily the healing power responded to her call this time.

Shanda was looking at her oddly, the same dark flicker from earlier showing in brown eyes. "What… was that you called them, Lyn?"

"Mazoku," Lyn repeated in a whisper, frightened by the way her mother was looking at her. "It's… what they prefer to be called. Ma- mono is… an insult." She stopped, reading in Shanda's face that she had said something wrong.

"Why… do you care if you insult them?" Shanda asked.

Slowly, Lyn answered, knowing this conversation could not end well. "I don't want to make them angry. If—"

Shanda cut her off, "Don't want to make them angry! Lyn, what are you talking about! _They_ attacked _us_, they killed us, and you're worrying about their feelings? Lyn, how plain does it have to be for you? They're not _Human!_"

"But they are people!" Lyn hissed back. Shanda gasped and flinched back, and Lyn curled into herself, panting. Why had she said that? Did she really think that they were… people? The memory of Widow Marie, struck down by a marmalade Diablos… a Diablos she had followed here not a candle mark earlier. Tobias, always a proper young man, desperately in love with Maris, and cruelly slaughtered by Esaku… The same Esaku who took Luke under his wing, who fed him fruit and poured her wine. Herbert, whom she had known all her life, attacking her with hatred, and fear behind that, who hit her harder and more fiercely than the insulted Mazoku had.

Lyn shook her head and wished she could scream, wished she could talk to someone, wished she didn't have to deal with her thoughts. Her thoughts just went around and around, and she didn't know how to stop them. Surely there was a way to live, to make a life among the Mazoku, without betraying her people.

Herbert and his group surrounded Lyn, shooing Shanda out of the way. "You're comin' with us, girl," the leader snarled, grabbing Lyn's arm.

She tried to pull back, but he just tightened his grip, pulling her towards the stairs as the villagers cleared a way. "What do you mean?" she asked, still trying to pull away.

"You spoke to 'em, we all know that!" Herbert snapped, whipping her around to face him. "An' we figured, jus' in case ya told 'em about what we're plannin' t'do, we'd take ya with us."

Lyn began shaking her head, compulsively. "That… are you… That's death."

The old man didn't answer, only giving Lyn a grim smile. He knew perfectly well what he was doing, and what it meant.

Barely noticed by the people in the hold, the sun slowly crossed the sky as the ship crossed the ocean. As the sun fell toward the waves, the sky turned red, and then darkened into purple. No lanterns were lit on the ship. None were needed, as Mazoku could see well in the dark.

The time came to feed the captives again, and after some thought Esaku sent a Hench in. Ialinu had let him use the ship's Sorcerer to cast an illusion on the Hench, and now he looked like a gray Diablos. If the Humans attacked, the Hench would let them 'overpower' him, then attack from behind.

The villagers knew the door had been opened mostly from the sound, as next to no light came from the deck. There were light footsteps, and a pair of cat-eyes gleamed in the darkness as the disguised Hench descended the steps and looked around. "I can see you," he purred with a heavy accent, the spell even changing his voice.

Lyn shook her head, but Herbert had his hand covering her mouth so she couldn't give a warning. With a brief nod at his group, he indicated for them to start the attack, and they charged the Diablos. The feline gave a surprised cry before he fell, and the rebels continued their charge up the stairs. In the dark, nobody noticed the fallen Diablos melt into a Hench.

Esaku had to hold back a caw of surprise when he noticed Lyn being pulled onto the deck, but she wasn't his concern right now. If she didn't want to fight, she knew what to do. With a few quick motions, he sent the Hench at the Humans, letting them indulge their taste for fighting.

With a roar, half a dozen Hench ran up to engage the Humans, and Herbert released Lyn to better defend himself. It took her a few seconds to realize she was free, as scenes from Algetty painted themselves over starlit deck. In the darkness, she thought she saw Esaku standing apart for the fighting, and she began to stumble towards him as some sort of anchor in the madness.

Lyn screamed when the Hench who had just knocked Herbert down stepped in front of her, grinning. She stepped back, eyes wide, but the large creature made no further moves, watching her with an almost curious look.

"She set up us!" a woman screeched, the old woman who had been reluctant about joining this. Lyn looked over in horror, and saw the few standing Humans all looking at her blackly.

In a flash of understanding, Lyn realized that she could not go back. Her own people had already rejected her. She looked into the Hench's purple eyes and whispered the word Esaku had taught her, hoping she didn't mangle it too badly.

Esaku had no real worries for the safety of the Hench in this fight, and he focused on the healer girl. He was a little put out when Blanim moved between himself and the girl, but it didn't matter in the long run. The Outlaw allowed himself a moment of triumph when Blanim moved out of the way and the girl ran toward him.

Lyn stumbled to a stop a few steps away from Esaku, looking at him with conflicted eyes. He motioned her to stand a little behind him. Grown suddenly timid around so many of the various Mazoku, Lyn nervously did as she was ordered, dropping her eyes to look at her feet.

A request was made in the lilting Mazoku language, and then a new voice rose in a brief chant in a language that was neither Medinian nor Zenese. Around the ship, a dozen or so of the chill blue flames bloomed, lighting the deck enough for Human eyes to see. It took Lyn a few moments to realize that the fire had been called by magic, and she shivered again, wondering just what she had chosen.

The seven Hench were guarding the defeated rebels, most of who were glaring darkly at both the Hench and at Lyn. Ethrurrion selected a couple of his men, and they went below decks. Before long, the Humans who had not fought came out of the hold, looking around curiously and shrinking against each other when they saw the grim-faced Mazoku.

Lyn recognized the air of suppressed furry and anticipation as the same feeling that had filled the air before Tobias was killed. She hoped Esaku was quick about it, but she couldn't quite muster pity for Herbert. He had chosen his own path, and tried to drag her down with him. She was just saddened that he'd found so many willing to follow him.

"I shall be generous," Esaku spoke, words cutting through the night, as he addressed the 'innocent'. "I shall _assume_ you were ignorant of the depravity taking root in these fools." He made it clear that he assumed no such thing. Opening his beak in a smile, Esaku continued. "After all, if you knew and did nothing, I would have to kill you all. _Harboring_ lawbreakers is the same as allowing their crimes." He waited for a few heartbeats, long enough to see comprehension and understanding dawn on a few faces, and then Esaku turned to the condemned.

In the clearer light, Esaku recognized Herbert, the old man who remembered the salting and who had tried to stop Lyn from healing the Diablos. Lizard, what idiots these Humans were, running to their own deaths. "You knew what would happen when you chose to disregard your betters. One within your own ranks warned you, and you didn't listen. I am through with you." Switching to Medinian, he ordered, "Throw them overboard, and don't let them back on."

The Humans didn't know what was happening when two Hench grabbed the first of the doomed. Ignoring her pathetic screaming and kicking, the red-skinned creatures went to the rail and threw. A splash cut of the scream, and then the screaming resumed, going from fear to indignation, and then back to fear.

Two more soon joined the first woman, four Hench carrying out Esaku's order while the other three prevented any attempts at escape. Horror began to claim the Humans' frozen minds as they realized this wasn't some ghastly joke. Esaku had such little regard for the rebels that he was simply going to let them drown. More splashes, and the screams echoed over the water. It was a warm spring night, but the ocean was deep and cold, and those in it couldn't swim.

From the knot of villagers watching, a voice rose to protest. Esaku silenced it with a glare, golden eyes catching the chill blue light. The only ones he allowed to speak were the damned, and to them he paid no attention even as they cursed him.

The first woman's voice was weakening as cold water and injuries sapped her strength. It withered entirely, and Lyn knew the ocean had claimed its first victim. She wanted to scream at the horror, to cry. She didn't understand, how could Esaku be almost kind to her, to Luke, and so heartlessly cruel to these others? She didn't understand his actions, but neither did she understand how her own people could be so foolhardy and… Her thoughts died, and she watched blankly as the final person, Herbert, was thrown over the rail and the remaining captives were once more herded into the darkness of the hold.

With his job finally done, Esaku thanked Ialinu for his help, and the loan of his Sorcerer's power. The Grimalkin nodded, then excused himself and went to the helm, a job Esaku left him to. Giving a last order to Ethrurrion to sit above the hold and listen to the slaves, the Outlaw then turned to Lyn, sighing when he saw the fragility in her eyes. She was far closer to breaking than he had anticipated, and if she broke now she would be utterly useless to him and to anyone else, except perhaps as a bed slave.

"Come, you can care for the child," he said in Zenese, starting towards his cabin. Lyn followed because that was what was expected, and because he was the only one left that she knew.

The rest of the voyage, a day and a half, Lyn spent in the cabin, or occasionally on deck, watching Luke. It seemed Esaku had bought him some toys, brightly colored Mazoku dolls made of wood, and a surprisingly delicate flute which Luke loved to blow. When they ventured on deck, the sailors smiled indulgently at the three-year-old who seemed fascinated with every aspect of the ship. For a short while, Lyn could almost forget the tragedies of the recent past.

After they landed, and after the remaining captives had been put into yet another cage, Lyn quietly asked Esaku what was going to happen to them. He answered honestly, that he was taking them to Maou Castle, where they would be sold off, and after that he could not say what their fates might be.

"And Luke…?" Lyn asked, looking at the child who was laughing at the bustling street.

"He is mine," Esaku answered calmly. "I will raise him as Human-born," he said the word once in his language, and once in hers, "And when he is old enough, I hope he will choose to join my clan."

"Human… born," Lyn tried the unfamiliar word, the second word of the Mazoku's strange language that she had been told. "Like the man who was on the ship?"

"Yes." Esaku wondered if she would find the courage to ask about her own fate. It seemed she would, but then she shook her head a little and gave her attention to Luke.

They spent the night in a hotel of some sort, apparently made for passing bands like theirs. The next day, Lyn was walking behind Esaku while carrying Luke, who was happily blowing in his flute.

The town gave way to farm land, faint dusting of green sprouts covering the black soil. By noon, the farm land had faded into a forest, of a kind unseen on human lands. The trees had dark brown bark, almost black, and they held leaves that were a grayed green. Soon, the branches covered the wide road, until almost no sun slipped between the foliage.

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Love those trees. Anyway... Esaku turned out much more sympathetic than I expected. So, again, the Liberators bless those who review! I even give review-backs, when I can. 


	10. Chapter 9

Arg, sorry guys, little late. I still don't own Chrono Trigger, you all know the dance.

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Maou Castle could be seen above the trees. Reddish-brown stone stood out starkly from grayed-green leaves, the castle rounded and spiked in a manner completely unfamiliar to Lyn. At this distance, with the lower levels occulted by the black-barked trees, the castle appeared to be a single monolithic building, a tower rising from the forest. As they drew closer, the trees parted, and it became clear that there were outbuildings and courtyards around the building. 

They weren't actually taken into the castle proper, only to one of the outbuildings. Segregated by gender, they were taken to two separate rooms. Clothing was handed out, simple tunics of undyed tan fabric. Ethrurrion, who was monitoring the female captives, stopped the Imp when he reached Lyn, saying something in lilting Medinian. The Imp nodded and skipped Lyn. When he was finished handing clothes to everyone else, the Imp returned with another tunic, this one a muddy green. She changed quickly, trying not to look at anyone else as she did so.

Men and women were re-united in the next building, another storehouse type structure, divided into a few sections, with other captives already being held. Lyn was taken to one of the smaller cells, where the occupants were quiet and shot no dark looks at the Mazoku. She twisted around, not fighting the guards, but trying to see what was happening. Her mother, along with the others from Algetty, were roughly shoved into a larger and better guarded cage, while Esaku was discussing something with the Mazoku who seemed to be in charge.

She soon stepped into the pen, looking curiously at the other people, while they looked at her in the same manner. She idly noticed the all wore the same green color as she did. After a while, a man stepped forward, the oldest of the group at about thirty, and apparently the leader. "Well there. Welcome."

"H-hello," Lyn answered tentatively. "Um… where… I mean, what's going to happen next?"

"This is a holding area," the man explained. "We'll be here until we're sold off or otherwise claimed. I've been here about a week, myself." He had an accent, a slight one that Lyn hadn't heard before.

Deciding it was safe enough, Lyn turned and looked toward the enclosure her mother was in. To her surprise, she noticed that everyone in that area avoided looking towards this cage. "Why aren't they looking at us? Why am I the only one from my village who was put here?"

Following her gaze, the man answered, sounding sad. "They think we're traitors. Maybe not as bad as the ones who chose to join our masters, but traitors nonetheless. You're here because the captain who brought you in deemed you trustworthy with the more sensitive tasks."

"Then… what will happen to them? To my mother?"

"From what I've gathered, it's up to them. If they stay quiet, don't cause trouble, they might find themselves upgraded to our position. If they _don't _stay quiet and do cause trouble… Well, I'm sure you got some sort of demonstration on your way here."

Lyn turned away from the bars and walked toward the wall. She didn't have to answer for him to know he was right.

"Hey, don't take it too hard," a woman sitting on a bench said. She was pretty, and sounded like she was from the Guardia continent itself. "We've got it pretty good, good food, treated well."

"I know," Lyn said, giving the pretty woman a dark look. "Esaku showed me the difference pretty fast once I decided where I stood. I caught on. I guess if you're only concerned about yourself, it's fine, but that's my _mother_ over there, and…" she trailed off, remembering the look in Shanda's eyes, and how she had slipped away, leaving Herbert to do what he would.

For their own part, the others in the cage were taken aback, not only by Lyn's put down, but that she'd called Esaku by name, not even hesitating. The unofficial leader slipped up by Lyn, cautiously putting his hand on her shoulder. "Whoa there, new girl. Did you just call one of them by name? That's a bad practice to get into, you know. They don't all like it very much."

"He never said he minded…" Lyn whispered before sighing. "I… Thanks for the information, but if possible, could I be left alone a little?"

His hand slipped from her shoulder, and he nodded. "Yeah. Sure. But we'll be here to tell you the rules when you're ready."

Looking for a place to sit that was relatively far from anyone, Lyn ended up in one of the two corners made by the wooden bars. She was careful as she approached, in case any of the Mazoku objected, but no one made any protest, the guards simply watching as she sat on the straw-covered dirt floor, resting her chin on her knees. The other slaves ignored her, per her request.

The holding area was far from quiet, even as the sun fell behind the trees. Mazoku would come in, in more variety than Lyn had imagined existed, and talk to the overseer, or wander the pathways between the enclosures. It reminded Lyn of market day in Dorino, only now she wasn't a child looking at trinkets. She was one of the wares for sale, and she finally understood what slavery was. As far as the Mazoku were concerned, they weren't buying people. They were buying things.

The traffic began to slow once the sun set fully, but it never quite stopped. Lyn dozed off after a while, slowly slumping against the wooden bars. Shaking woke her, the man calling to her. "Hey, new girl, wake up already. You been bought. Get up, don't keep 'im waiting."

Lyn blinked, then looked at the man questioningly. He motioned with his head, and Lyn turned to look. She scrambled to her feet when she saw Esaku standing there, looking impatient. "Well, hurry up," the Outlaw snapped, motioning for her to come through the door.

Lyn had the idea that this was an unusual occurrence, although she wasn't sure why she felt that. This was clearly not the time to stop and worry about it, though, and she quickly obeyed the command, ducking through the open door. She wasn't surprised when Esaku started walking away as soon as she was clear, and wordlessly she followed as the door was closed behind her. As she walked out of the storehouse, Lyn thought she heard Shanda shouting something, but she didn't have time to look.

Esaku led her to another building, this one a barracks. Once they were in, he slowed a little, waiting for Lyn to get closer to him. "That went better than I feared," he said softly. "Now you are officially mine, and healer to my band."

"I… I mean…" Lyn stuttered, trying to form a question. What finally came out was, "You own me?"

"Do yourself a favor, healer girl. Learn to refer to all Mazoku as sir, and me as Master. Yes, I own you now," Esaku answered, correcting her sternly at the same time.

Surprised by the sudden rebuke, Lyn stayed silent. After a few moments, Esaku pointed out a cot. "You'll sleep there while we're here. That shouldn't be long, I plan to take my squad to our hometown, if we're not hired for another mission. Until then, you should start learning a civilized language. Since I currently have nothing better to do, I'll be teaching you."

They stayed two days at Maou Castle, with Lyn mostly taking care of Luke again and Esaku covering the basics of what he called 'a civilized language.' As beautiful as it sounded, she quickly learned that Medinian wasn't an easy language to learn. She was grateful for Esaku's patience.

Lyn was not prepared for Esaku's rage when he came in the evening of the second day. She didn't understand a word he was saying, but could guess that they were curses of some form. With a sudden caw, Esaku turned on Lyn, switching to her language. "_YOUR_ damned kin and their Lardon-damned resistance have lowered my status! I've been denied permission to visit home, given a new contract, to the fucking _battle lines_, at two THIRDS what I should be worth for this!"

What was he expecting, Lyn wondered, shrinking back. "I… I'm sorry, Master?" she offered, hoping to calm him.

Esaku seemed to reign himself in, recalling that his anger was not towards Lyn. "No. Don't be sorry. You are going to keep my squad strong, so that we can regain our status." He turned away and started pacing, muttering rapidly to himself.

From the main barracks, a flute song rose. Ethrurrion, most likely, playing the flute for Luke, showing the child how to play it. Esaku stopped his pacing and looked toward the wall, then started his fluent cursing again. He couldn't take the boy to a battlefield, nor could he afford to loose anyone for the time it would take to get him home.

Esaku left as quickly as he came, though this time he was less dramatic. A little while after he left, the flute stopped and Ethrurrion came in, holding Luke's hand. "Where are we going?"

Lyn briefly debated not telling, but then decided that the Diablos would learn soon enough. "The… battle lines, sir."

"Do you know when?" the feline asked, grimacing.

"I… no, sir. M-master didn't say, but I'd assume soon."

Ethrurrion nodded to himself, then gently pushed Luke toward Lyn and left. Lyn sighed, tired of feeling like she was missing most of what was going on, but she realized that she simply was not important enough to tell. She tucked the tired Luke into the small bed that had been brought in for him, and then sat on the floor. She would be allowed to go to bed when Esaku let her, and not before, a lesson she had learned the very first night.

* * *

"My friend, I am glad to see you are well," Esaku said. When he had left the barracks, he had gone straight to the castle, hoping the Sorcerer he knew would be willing to watch the boy. 

The blue mage chuckled, recognizing that the Outlaw wasn't here for idle chitchat. "Don't think me a fool, Esaku. You have something to ask me. Well, ask."

Esaku sighed and thought about how best to put things. "I… have a contract to ship to the Choras lines tomorrow. However, I picked up a child on my last assignment."

There was silence for a while, as the Sorcerer interpreted Esaku's statement and then decided what he would do. "You were planning on raising him Human-born?" A nod confirmed his guess, and the magic-user continued. "You want me to care for this child until you return?"

"Either you take him, or I must bring him with me. I don't have the time to make better plans."

The Sorcerer gave a low whistle of amazement. His friend was more desperate than he'd thought, if those were really his only two options. "I'll do this for you, but you'll owe me, friend," the mage said, a note of warning in his voice. If all went well, this would be an easy task, but if Esaku didn't return from the field, the Sorcerer was agreeing to take on the raising of the boy, as Human-born. And the debt Esaku would be in would be equal to the larger task.

Esaku closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you, my friend. We leave at sunrise, can you get him before we go?"

Standing, the Sorcerer walked Esaku to the door of his room. "I'll do better. I'll go with you and get him right now."

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Same plea as always, review! ... if I get two reviews, I'll post the next chapter early, how's that? 


	11. Chapter 10

Actually a fairly important chapter, weirdly enough. I still don't own Chrono Trigger. I do own Raulewn, though I have no clue where she came from... Also, spot the meme references and win a cookie!

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Lyn was woken early in the morning. For a moment, she couldn't figure out why Esaku was waking her up so early, or where Luke was. Thinking about it as she stood, she remembered the strange leg-less Mazoku from last night, the Sorcerer that Esaku had left Luke with. Then she remembered that they were going to the front, and all the fear and uncertainty from last night returned.

The band marched to a port town. Lyn wasn't sure if it was the same one they had landed in three days ago or not. It looked similar, but that didn't really mean much. From there, they crossed the ocean again, with Esaku spending most of his time drumming as much of his language into Lyn's head as was possible in the four days the journey took. He chose mostly words from the medical field. When she asked why, he explained that she was not going to be on the front line. Lyn would be left behind in the last post before the front, helping to heal the injured and temporarily under the command of the lead medic. Esaku gave her a yellow band to wear around her arm, saying that it showed she was his. He also gave her a small pack of papers, telling her to keep them on her at all times.

While grateful that she would not be in the fighting, Lyn was still afraid. She was going to be left in a strange place, surrounded by beings who all viewed her as below them, and who spoke a different language. She hoped the Lady would bless the intensive lessons she was being given.

They had to land on boats, the ship staying out in deeper water. From the beach where they had landed, it was only a short march to the fort. Now Lyn followed her Master through the wooden hallways, looking for the head of the infirmary.

It didn't take long for Esaku to reach his destination. He spoke to a being that looked rather like a darker furred version of the Diablos, a Grimalkin, she thought it was called. She could only catch one word out of ten that they exchanged, but it ended in her being given a blue and black band to wear.

"Those are the colors of a healer-mage," Esaku explained as Lyn tied the cloth onto her arm. "It was decided that your 'tech' was close enough to our magic for this case. Serve well, and when we're home, you'll be rewarded." With a final nod towards the Grimalkin, Esaku walked away, leaving Lyn alone.

Looking at the Human girl for a moment, the dark-furred feline sighed, then motioned for her to follow him. He led her to a door, than called an Imp over. Looking into the room, Lyn quickly realized this was the main healing area, currently almost empty. The Grimalkin told the black-robed Imp something, and the green Mazoku nodded.

"Come," the Imp said to Lyn, in her own language. "Battle start soon, then we busy. Today, I watch you, next day, you know what you doing."

Lyn was still working out what the creature meant when he stopped. In this corner of the infirmary, the various Mazoku all wore some form of blue and black clothing. Did the black mean healer, then, while the blue was for the mages? Lyn held her hands to prevent picking at herself, and mostly looked at the ground. She wondered just who had decided that her tech merited her inclusion with the magic-users. She'd never even seen magic. She'd only heard stories, and never stories that the Mazoku's magic could be used to heal.

Some of the mages were speaking to the Imp. After a few glances towards her, Lyn realized that they were as skeptical of her inclusion among them as she was. They didn't think she'd be of any use. At that moment, she decided to prove them wrong.

It was a while before Lyn got her chance. She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, pretending to ignore the obvious scorn in the healer-mage's voices. With a sudden bang, the doors were opened and slaves started carrying in wounded Mazoku.

Lyn quickly learned there was a system to the healing. First, the black robed healers would check the new arrivals. About half were given what Lyn soon realized were tonics, and most of those soon left. Maybe half of those left were bandaged by the mundane healers, while the rest, usually those injured the most gravely, were left to the healer-mages. But even then there was a system; the mages would wait until there were maybe half a dozen injured around them, and then heal them all in one burst.

Once Lyn caught on to the system, she realized what part she was supposed to play in it. Her job was to heal the Mazoku who were little more than a breath away from death. She didn't need to heal them fully; that was the job of the true mages. She just kept them alive until one of the mages included them in one of their spells.

Lyn was too busy working to notice the looks she garnered. Much to the healer-mage's surprise, she was actually being useful, soon anticipating who would need her help next. Her strange tech wasn't nearly as strong as the spells they cast, but it was faster, and already had made the difference in at least three cases.

When the rush stopped, Lyn almost didn't notice. She had fallen into a rhythm, still had energy left, and there were still injured around her. Exactly as she had in the Magic Cave, Lyn moved towards those who were still hurt.

This time it was the Imp who stopped her. "Leave them. You job done."

A Grimalkin, different from the one who had brought her here, stepped in front of Lyn. It took the Human a few moments to realize this Grimalkin was female. She wore a black shirt and blue skirt over her purple-blue fur; a healer-mage, then. "You understand me?" she asked harshly, using the Mazoku language.

"A- a little," Lyn answered uncertainly, suddenly realizing she didn't know the honorific for females.

The Grimalkin's eyes narrowed, and she drawled, "Madam…."

"M-madam," Lyn repeated quickly, hoping the feline would accept that.

The mage thought for a moment, then nodded, appeased. "Come, I'll take you to dinner. You," she looked at the Imp, "Can go now. We won't hurt her."

With a shrug, the Imp walked away, seemingly pleased that his job was finished early. Lyn was once again left alone with someone she didn't know, and she found out she was tired after all. "Ah… thank you, er… madam."

"How long have you lived with us? It can't have been long, the way you speak is terrible," the Grimalkin asked, obviously unconcerned with the fact that Lyn was having trouble understanding her. As she spoke, she took the girl out of the infirmary, more or less following the other mages, who also seemed to be going to dinner.

Lyn was fairly sure she understood the question, but she didn't think she had the words to answer it. "Ah… ten and four days, madam."

"Two weeks," the Mazoku correct absently. Entering a mess hall, she took Lyn to one of the stewpots, pointing out a symbol on the pot. "After working, mages eat from here. That includes you, while you're wearing our colors." Filling two bowls, the Grimalkin shoved one at Lyn, then went to sit at a table already filled with healers. "Well, come on, sit down!"

Still unsure of her reception, Lyn did as she was told, wedging herself onto the bench next to the seemingly friendly Grimalkin. The blue Sorcerer on her other side looked at her curiously before going back to his meal.

"So, Raulewn, picked up a stray?" a Freelancer down the table asked, a distinctly derisive tone in his voice.

"Piss off," the Grimalkin answered cheerfully. "In case you didn't notice, this girl saved that Hench you almost let die!"

"Oh, well, yes, she saved a Hench…."

"Shut up, Ohimero," the Sorcerer next to Lyn growled. "You know how much trouble we'd be in if the Hench weren't holding our lines."

The Freelancer snorted. "Oh, fine, I'll give you that. But that still doesn't answer why Raulewn brought a slave to sit at our table and eat with us."

Raulewn ran a hand down Lyn's hair, almost causing the Human to choke on her stew. The Grimalkin ignored Lyn's reaction and answered Ohimero, smiling. "Nobody else seems to be complaining."

Lyn looked at Raulewn, trying to figure out what was going on. "Am I …trouble, madam?" she asked.

"No, you're fine, dear. Ohimero is trouble. Eat your stew, then you'll feel better," Raulewn soothed, petting the girl more.

"Heh, and you're pretending that you only brought her here because she was useful," the Freelancer sniggered, looking innocent when Raulewn glared at him.

While Lyn wished the Grimalkin would stop petting her, she was pretty sure that now wasn't the time or place to voice her wishes. Silently, she ate the rest of her meal while the Mazoku talked among themselves. Pretty soon the bowl was empty, and Lyn had to admit, the cook was good. She even felt like she could use her tech a lot more, and she hadn't even slept yet. Though if Raulewn kept petting her like that, she might end up going to sleep right here at the table….

"Your pet is drooling on the table," the Sorcerer remarked, sliding from his seat.

Raulewn blinked down at Lyn. "Hey girl, come on. Guess I'd better show you where you can sleep."

Half asleep, Lyn followed Raulewn down wooden halls. When the Grimalkin pointed out an empty bed, Lyn practically fell into it. She was asleep before she could even thank the Grimalkin.

* * *

I have given up. I have asked, begged, threatened, and bribed. You clearly don't care. I give up. 


	12. Chapter 11

Hey, look! It's Janus! Happy chapter makes me happy. Chrono Trigger is not mine. 

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It was official, Janus decided. 'Sir' Slash was a damn bastard who enjoyed making him do all the hard work. Ever since 'Master' Ozzie had given the swordsman the task of 'teaching the boy what life was like', the violet-skinned Mazoku had gone out of his way to make sure that Janus had spent at least one day doing every job the swordsman could think of.

First it had been cleaning out the aviary in the castle. That had ended with Janus covered in stuff he'd very much rather not think about, and Ozzie ordering him to take a bath, nose wrinkling from the smell. The next day he'd been set to mucking the stables and moving hay about. Janus could have sworn the Flunky who was in charge of the stables had had him moving the hay for absolutely no reason. _That_ had ended with Janus covered in stuff that was even worse than the day before, and yet another Ozzie-ordered bath. The boy had been almost glad when Slash had decided that they ought to be on a ship going to the front lines at Choras the next day.

Of course, the minor joy had turned into anger when Janus realized that a ship had even _more_ new and exciting ways for a deck hand to get dirty and tired out, and there were no baths on the ocean. Added to that, he was set scrubbing the deck, which meant he lost his shirt because of the heat, and then another slave started hitting on him. A male slave, who even tried to pull 'rank' for time in service. Janus was NOT interested, and had far more rank, considering his owner, and that had ended about the way Slash expected it too. Luckily, they were able to haul the chagrined slave back on board. 

Finally, after a four-day journey that had Janus being treated like everyone's scut boy, they had reached this outpost. It was the anchor-fort, holding their line on Choras ground. And Janus knew 'Master' Slash already had at least half a dozen plans for him.

Today, for example. Janus had, finally, been given a little time to clean up, but only because he was expected to help in the infirmary and no-one would allow him in until they could see his face clearly. He figured the wash up was fair trade for putting up with the healers, and so far it hadn't been so bad. He… just… didn't look very closely at the injured, and tried not to listen to the groans and cries as the mundane healers plied their trade on the less critically wounded.

"Move," a curt order came from behind him. Janus turned curiously, and found himself facing a Human, with green hair, wearing the green of a trusted slave and the blue and huelin armband of… a healer-mage? That couldn't be right; Humans in this time didn't _have_ magic.

The girl frowned at him, muttered something in what was probably her native tongue and repeated her order. "Move, now." Her grasp of the Mazoku language was atrocious, and Janus quickly realized that she had absolutely no clue whose colors _he _was wearing.

He started to move out of her way, apparently still too slow for her tastes. As soon as she could, she pushed past him, going, he saw, to a very badly torn up Grimalkin. Stealing a few moments from his work, Janus watched her curiously, realizing she was beginning to glow. When the glow left her to cover her patient, it seemed somehow familiar to him, though it was clearly _not_ magic. He didn't have the luxury of time to consider what he'd seen, as another of the huelin-clad healers called for bandages. Janus never got another chance to talk to the girl, and he couldn't even afford to watch her as that slowed his responses to an unacceptable level.

The next day he was back at the infirmary, in a manner of speaking. When he had been helping to heal the injured yesterday, now he was busy moving those who had died, or where too far gone for healing to work. Janus didn't have the option of not looking; not as he touched them, hauling them up and dragging them to the graves if they were dead, or using the knife he had been given if they still lived. At first he cursed steadily in Zealian, enjoying the uncomfortable reactions of the Mazoku as he fluently used the language that was the basis for their spells. As the day edged on and he labored at his macabre task under the heat of the sun, his voice stilled. When he came to one of the somehow still-living, Janus stopped even hesitating in using the knife as he tried to simply get through the day.

Janus slept poorly that night, old memories blending with new horrors in his nightmares. When he woke up and saw 'Sir' Slash smiling grimly, Janus knew an appalling day had just begun. "We're going to the front lines. Bring a weapon."

Janus' cursing didn't phase Slash. The swordsman knew the difference between swearing and spellcasting, and this was something that had to be done. Lord Ozzie wanted Janus to learn about life. Well, war was part of life, just as much as anything else. As soon as Janus was dressed and ready, they left the fort.

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Yes, I'm being very hard on Janus... Also, yes, 'huelin' is not a typo or anything. More will be revealed, promise. Review, and I'll explain it faster.


	13. Chapter 12

I do not own Chrono Trigger. Thank you to Garnithor for reviewing my story, you have made me happy. This chapter is here because Esaku yanked me over and said, "You are showing them my village." ...Don't argue with the Battle Captain. --;

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Two and a half weeks after he'd left her there, Esaku showed up at the infirmary as she was leaving with Raulewn. Lyn immediately stopped, prompting the Grimalkin to ask what was wrong. "It's… my Master," Lyn answered, not taking her eyes from the Outlaw.

"Ah-ouu…" Raulewn hummed, nodding. "So, you've come to take your healer back?"

Esaku looked at Raulewn, somewhat surprised. "I have," he answered.

"Share a meal with us? It's been fairly a hard day," the feline offered.

Lyn didn't understand Esaku's reaction to the friendly offer. For his part, the Outlaw was further surprised. It appeared his slave had been accepted by the healer-mages far better than he had expected. "Yes, we will do that. Thank you for the offer."

When they reached the mess hall, Lyn automatically followed Raulewn to the pot of stew that was made for the mages. Esaku nodded to himself, pleased, making a mental note to explain to the girl just why that stew was mage-only on the battlefield. During the meal, he watched as the healers spoke among each other, most of it going over Lyn's head. When Raulewn announced that Lyn was going home with her master, there was even genuine disappointment, though a majority of it was simply mourning the loss of a healer.

"It's time to go," Esaku said, standing. "We have a ship to catch."

The journey to the ship was mercifully easy, and Esaku seemed in a good mood as they set sail. He asked how Lyn had spent her weeks, and went over more of the language with her. He also explained about the stew, which was made with the same herbs that were concentrated in the ethers that were used in the field to restore magic energy.

Wrinkling her brow, Lyn looked up at Esaku from her place on the floor. "So… I was allowed to use something that restores the, ah, magic of Mazoku?" she asked, using her native tongue to make sure she got it right.

"Yes, exactly. Did it work?" Esaku said, taking a bit of a purple fruit.

Lyn nodded slowly, not sure she liked the implications. "Does… that mean…" She closed her eyes, hesitant to finish the question. "My tech… uses magic?"

Esaku gave a little caw, shaking his head. "I can't answer. The only other techs I have seen are nothing like magic. They are simply skills which Humans have studied." He shrugged a little and had more of his fruit.

Curling up slightly, Lyn rested her head on her knees and let the conversation die. She didn't want to think about it now. She didn't want her tech to be so close to the Mazoku magic, to be something that was innate and not learned. She just wanted to be Human, normal.

They had to stop by Maou Castle, to pick up Luke, who seemed happy to see them. From there it was a short journey to the clan's home, a nice little town to the north, in what Lyn considered a 'normal' forest, with the same kinds of trees she was used too. Once again, she was surprised by how much it resembled a Human village. The houses were wooden, with gardens and washing and laundry. The children were mostly Diablos, but they laughed and played and were scolded by their mothers. It was… ordinary.

A couple of days after arriving, Esaku told Lyn to come with him. Luke was busy playing with Ethrurrion's son, so they left the boys under the watchful eye of the Diablos' mother. Walking down the dirt path, Lyn this time was noticing how… natural the town was. The streets wandered and curved, taking detours around trees that would have been cut down in Algetty.

"Where are we going, Master?" Lyn asked, as they reached what seemed to be the town center. Four or five wooden buildings surrounded a dirt 'square', with a well in the middle.

"To the jeweler. I promised you a reward, did I not?"

That was true, though Lyn had more or less forgotten what he'd said weeks ago. It seemed odd to her, however, especially now that she knew he was talking about jewelry. Jewelry was not something she would have expected being given to a slave.

Esaku went to a building and knocked sharply. After waiting for a moment or two, he simply opened the door and walked in, Lyn following. A Diablos limped into the entry hall, smiling. "Ah, Esaku! I'd heard you were back in town. Good to see you, good to see you. What brings you visiting, and is that a new slave?"

"Yes, and she's part of why I'm here, Mawr. I thought you might have some necklaces that would work."

The feline nodded, turning and leading them to his workshop. "My daughter's been taking after me. You could probably buy some of her learning work, unless you're wanting something fancier."

Esaku hesitated just a moment, but then decided that, with the status loss and commiserate pay loss, he didn't really have the resources to do that. And anyway, as useful as the girl was, she hadn't earned anything like that, really. "Your daughter's work will be fine. If it's anything like her father's, I know she will have a bright future."

Mawr smiled proudly, but tried to remain modest. "If you say so, Esaku." He pulled out a tray filled with a wide selection of ornaments, most of which still needed to be attached to something to make a necklace. "Here's what she's done so far."

Lyn gasped a little at the sight of the pretty polished stones set in the midst of gold or silver wires, twisted into fanciful shapes. They were not the delicate things Sera had sometimes worn, and while the craftsmanship was clumsy, it was clear that these were meant to be more solid. She started to reach for them, but pulled back, suddenly mindful of the two Mazoku.

"Have you never seen jewelry before?" Esaku asked jokingly. Looking over the pendants, he noticed a silver one in particular. Two thumb-sized stones were connected by silver wires, which bent into a slight chevron. It was maybe the size of a woman's palm, but what really caught his attention was the color of the stones. One was blue, one was huelin, the healer-mage colors. "This one," he said, pointing at it.

Lyn hadn't answered her Master's jesting question, deciding that if it was important, he'd ask again. Looking at the ornament, she smiled a little. "It's beautiful," she murmured.

Mawr and Esaku bartered back and forth for a little while before the Outlaw passed over a couple of coins. Mawr took the pendant, quickly attached a cord to either corner, and gave it to Esaku, who promptly told Lyn to turn around. She did so, and Esaku quickly tied the cords around her neck so that the metal hung over her breastbone.

A couple more weeks passed, with Lyn continuing to study Medinian. She was getting better at it, though she was still falling into her own language far too often as far as Esaku was concerned. Lyn, for her own part, was almost happy, content to spend her time with those she had been taught were 'monsters'.

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So, yeah, transition. Next chapter, things get moving. It'll be up on Saturday; I've changed to a twice-weekly updating schedule. Please reveiw?


	14. Chapter 13

Still don't own Chrono Trigger. I'm changing to a bi-weekly schedual, so if you missed Wednesday's update, go read. The final cast is getting assembled, so hopefully the number of characters will be easier on you all.

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Janus stayed in the shadows of the dining room, watching 'Master' Ozzie and his three generals argue among themselves. Flea was currently bitching, "But _why_ can't I raid Porre?"

"Because we are focused on Choras right now," Tihl growled, causing the serving girl to jump a little. Janus thought she'd better learn to toughen up, or she wouldn't last much longer.

"How is the war on Choras coming, anyway?" Ozzie asked, taking a drink of his blue beer.

Slash answered that one, shrugging slightly. "About as well as can be expected, really. Which reminds me, I heard an interesting story when I was down there."

"Oh really?" Flea asked, not really interested.

"The boy," Slash motioned at Janus, who was not happy with attention being directed at him. "Confirmed it, when I asked. Apparently, one of our mercenaries brought his slave to the infirmary to help out. The weird thing was, though, she had a tech. A _healing_ tech. Boy said she was wearing the colors of a healer-mage, and working with them."

Flea gave a slight gasp, finding the news far more interesting than she had expected. She had been looking for humans with techs, but so far none had survived capture. "Do you know who this mercenary was?" she said, trying to sound disinterested.

Black eyes glittered under violet brows. Slash knew the magician General had been doing research on techs and magic, and had fully expected this reaction from her. "An Outlaw, I believe. By the name of Esaku."

"The one who lost three Hench taking that farming village a month ago?" Tihl snorted, clearly not impressed. "Why would someone like _that_ be living in a hole like that?" He gave a short laugh, reaching for a dish from the slave girl. The girl, already nervous, jumped again, though this time her reaction had disastrous results.

Janus bit back a groan as meat and gravy from the slave's platter slid into Flea's lap. Flea stood with a surprised yelp, and the slave, in what was not the smartest move possible, dropped the half-full platter and threw herself to the ground, muttering apologies in broken Medinian.

There was silence as the others waited for Flea's explosion. To their surprise, she knelt by the cowering slave and spoke gently. "There now," the pink-haired mage soothed. "You didn't mean to do that. Stand up," she placed a slim finger under the girl's chin and stood, drawing the slave up with her. "Don't be afraid. You're going to come with me, to find out about this rumor of a healing Human."

Janus recognized the tone Flea used at the end. Ozzie and the other two Generals recognized it too. Too sweet, too gentle; Flea was using the voice that most heralded death. None of them expected the slave girl to ever return to the castle.

* * *

The tune of a child's counting song floated from the wooden house. Lyn was singing to Luke, or at least attempting too. She wasn't very sure on the melody, or even the words, but Luke was laughing gaily, and that was really all the Lyn was going for.

The song stopped when the door opened. Lyn started to stand, ready to greet her Master, but Esaku shook his head slightly, a grim and troubled look in his eyes. With a few quick words, Lyn sent Luke out to play, just as two more people entered the house.

One was a slave, clearly, dressed in the same green that Lyn wore. She looked absolutely terrified of the woman she had followed in.

The other woman was very clearly in charge, as even Esaku, a leader in the village, was differential to her. At first glance, Lyn almost mistook her for a Human-born, but there had never been a Human with pink hair. She wore white, that was the first impression, but her skirt was a dark rose, and her hose red-brown. There was a hard cast to her delicate face, and a cruel light in her lavender eyes. Lyn shivered and looked away.

Barely glancing at Lyn, Flea asked Esaku, "Does she know Medinian yet?"

Esaku's concern was clear in his voice when he answered her. "Not well, Lady Flea. I have been teaching her."

With a slight nod, Flea quickly crossed the room to stand in front of Lyn. "Girl. You can heal?" she drawled, actually taking care to speak clearly.

"I… can, madam," Lyn answered slowly. She was fairly sure that there was a better title to use, but if Flea had addressed her, knowing her Medinian was poor, then surely Flea would be prepared to deal with mistakes.

Hearing Lyn's affirmation, Flea motioned the other slave girl over. When the frightened girl was close enough, the Mazoku woman of unknown race took her hand and tugged it up until the girl raised her arm. Releasing her hand, Flea gave the girl a sweet smile and said, "This is for the food you dropped on me." The brief, melodious chant was said quickly, and with a gesture, a small burst of fire exploded from Flea and impacted the slave. There was one short cry before the flames vanished, and the slave dropped to her knees and whimpered.

Lyn yelled too, from pure surprise, and bound to her feet, recoiling. "What the… you…" she gasped, once more in the Human language, her Medinian deserting her in her horror.

Flea simply raised a brow, while Esaku bowed his head, accepting that he was most likely going to loose Lyn. "Well, girl…?" Flea asked, motioning to the burnt slave. "Can you heal, or no?"

As the question penetrated, Lyn also dropped to her knees, hands hovering over the blistering skin of the other girl. "If I could not?" she whispered, not looking at the Mazoku.

"Then she is burnt, and I waste my time," Flea answered, a velvet knife of malice entering her voice.

Closing her eyes, Lyn concentrated, the necessary mental patterns easier than ever. The power collected at her fingertips, a glowing white ball, and Lyn had to work to keep back a little, realizing this was not a time to exhaust herself. With a mental push, she directed the healing energy into the burnt flesh and muscle. The girl stopped whimpering, but remained curled up.

Standing, Lyn dared a look at Flea's face. Unsettled by the interest she found there, she dropped her gaze. "That what you want see, madam?" she asked, trying desperately to keep the venom from her voice.

To her surprise, the mage lifted Lyn's head, forcing her to meet that hard lavender gaze. Bending near, Flea whispered, breathe against Lyn's face, "Yes. That was… _exactly_ what I wanted to see." Dropping her hand, Flea abruptly turned away from Lyn. "I want her," she declared to Esaku. "Give her to me, and we can forget that… _debacle_ at Algetty."

Esaku hesitated, just for a moment, just long enough for Flea's eyes to begin narrowing. At that, he nodded, spreading his arms with a caw. "She is yours, Lady Flea."

The deal made, Flea headed for the door, Lyn realizing she was supposed to follow a long moment later. Looking at Esaku with a lost gaze, he looked back with sorrow, but made no move to stop her.

Back at the Castle, Flea led Lyn down a dozen or so halls and up at least two staircases. In a way, the castle reminded Lyn of the cave where Tobias had died. It was made of dark stone, with shadows everywhere and only those same magical blue flames for light. No windows pierced the walls to let in sunlight, but there were a fair number of tapestries, most done in blues, greens, violets and blacks, with the occasional flash of yellow and even rarer hint of orange.

After the dimness of the Castle halls, Lyn found Flea's rooms a relief. The eight-sided room they first entered was lit with ordinary yellow lamps. There was a white rug on the floor in front of a red divan. Four of the walls had doors. One was directly across from the hall door, and one door each on the walls directly to the left and right so that if you drew a line through the room connecting the doors, they would make a cross. The other four walls had tapestries, which mostly seemed to feature written Medinian. At least Lyn thought it was Medinian. It didn't really look like the Zenese she'd seen.

Going to the divan, Flea lounged in it, looking at Lyn measuringly. The Human shifted nervously. Frowning a little, Flea asked, "Can you use your 'tech' when no-one is injured, girl?"

Lyn shrugged a little, green hair brushing her skin as she shook her head. "I not try, ah… Master?" she said, struggling. She knew the last word was not entirely correct, but had nothing better to use.

"Mistress," Flea hissed, before firing off another question. "At Choras, did you eat with the mages?"

There was a pause as Lyn worked out the question, and then she nodded slowly. "I…did, Mistress." She didn't like to think about that, though. Esaku's revelation about the herbs had deeply unsettled her, and even with Raulewn caring for her, she had not liked her time at the fort very much.

Flea smiled, a smug look that fit her face well. "And tell me then, girl. Did their food restore your energy?"

Lyn closed her eyes and hung her head. In a way, she was not surprised by Flea's question, but it was not one she wanted to answer. Unconsciously raising her hand to brush her fingers against the pendant Esaku had given her, Lyn replied. "Yes, Mistress. It did."

"Come here, girl," Flea ordered, not unkindly. Lyn slowly approached, stopping a couple of steps away from the reclining Mazoku. That was apparently not close enough for Flea's taste, and the pink haired mage motioned for Lyn to come closer. When she was nearly touching the dark wood of the divan's frame, Flea stopped her. "Kneel," the Mazoku breathed fervently. Lyn did as she was told, dropping heavily to her knees, fear in her brown eyes.

Flea leaned forward and traced Lyn's cheek and jaw with fingers that felt almost slippery, like the skin of the salamanders that had plagued Widow Marie's garden. The Mazoku's skin was dry, though, simply… slick. "So your tech already runs off magic. I had suspected something of the sort," Flea mused, rubbing a lock of Lyn's hair between her fingers. "Though techs do not use one of the elements, do they? How very unusual… How did you get your tech, girl?" Her dreamy tone grew sharp on the last question.

Lyn was very slow to answer, confused by her new Mistress' actions, and not immediately realizing that she had been asked a question that she was supposed to answer. Flea's speech was very confusing, slow and drawling, and the Mazoku used vocabulary far beyond Lyn's meager understanding. "I… ah… have it very young. A-all time."

"_Mistress_," Flea hissed again, definite anger in her voice. Not giving Lyn time to remedy her omission, the mage continued her interrogation. "You did not _learn_ your tech, girl?"

Shivering, Lyn realized she had had a rather close call. Her new Mistress, it seemed, would not allow her to ever drop the title, and after what she had done to the girl she had brought to Esaku's house, Lyn really didn't want to face Flea's anger. What had happened to the girl, anyway, she wondered. Flea had just… left her, curled up in Esaku's living room. These thoughts quickly passed through Lyn's head, and then she returned to Flea's question. "No, Mistress," she whispered, once more bowing her head. A horrible thought had been growing in her mind ever since the first day she had been given the healer-mage colors, and finally she couldn't ignore it or hold it back any longer, not with Flea asking these questions. "It… _is_ tech, Mistress?" she asked desperately.

Flea stroked Lyn's face again, but her smile was cruel. "Oh, it _is_ a tech, girl. But are techs magic? You're going to help me find out." Done with the conversation, Flea stood and moved away from the still-kneeling slave. "You sleep there," the mage said, pointing at the door between the wall with the blue tapestry and the one with the violet tapestry. With a final, insincere, smile, Flea went through the door across from the hall, pink braid swaying as she left the room.

Bewildered by Flea's sudden change of mood and the feelings the Mazoku's touch had brought, Lyn stood clumsily, looking at the door her Mistress had indicated. Deciding that her words had been an order, Lyn went and opened it. The room beyond was little more than a closet with an extremely narrow cot. There was a very thin blanket covering the cot. Luckily, the castle was actually fairly warm, although early summer was probably part of the cause. The lack of windows and thus, drafts, likely made it warmer as well.

Lyn dispiritedly lay down on the small bed, drawing the blanket over her more for comfort then warmth. She was beginning to think that Flea, at least, of the Mazoku she had met, might deserve the title of 'monster'. She wondered just who the Mazoku woman was. Someone of importance, likely, from the fact she lived in the Castle, and seemed to have a rather large set of rooms as well. That might explain why Esaku had been so quick to let her take Lyn, and the sorrow the Human had seen in his eyes. Flea had mentioned Algetty, and Lyn remembered Esaku's statement about his loss of status. That had to be it, then. This Flea was someone important, and had pulled rank in some way to _make_ Esaku give up Lyn.

No longer feeling betrayed by Esaku's actions, Lyn tried to relax. She didn't know what the next day would bring, but the way Flea had spoken, it would not be pleasant. It was best to sleep while she could, she had already learned that. And so, in time, she slept.

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Things start getting fun here... Please review.


	15. Chapter 14

I still don't own Chrono Trigger. I do, however, own the concept of kisch, as far as I know. If you wanna know what it looks like, look up 'hematite'.

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Lyn's day started with Flea opening the door and pulling the blanket down. "Get up, I know you're not as lazy as you're acting, girl!" Flea snapped, roughly shaking the Human. Blinking, Lyn sat up, trying to remember where she was.

"Stop dawdling and get over here, for Magician's sake!" Flea called, already out of Lyn's small room and half-way across the main room. Recognizing the Mazoku's growing anger, Lyn stood and hurried over, not catching up until the mage stopped at the door across from Lyn's room, between the yellow and green tapestries.

Opening the door, Flea gave her new slave a warning look. "Don't touch anything. The books in here are worth more than you are." Lyn nodded, having understood the main gist of Flea's command.

As the comment had suggested, the next room was a library, though it also seemed that it was used for making potions. Black wood shelves lined two adjacent walls, while a heavy table took up most of the middle, with vials and various rocks and plants on it. Flea gestured, and two pair of candelabras began burning, one pair with the normal yellow flame, and one pair with the magical blue flame the Mazoku favored. The corner opposite the shelves was empty, which struck Lyn as odd.

Flea left Lyn standing just inside the door while she strode to the table. Choosing a rock, Flea picked it up, then held it out towards Lyn. She frowned when she noticed Lyn was still by the doorway. "What are you doing over there? Come here, girl."

"Sorry, Mistress," Lyn murmured, wondering idly in her sleep-addled brain whether any Mazoku was ever going to ask her name and use it, or if she was doomed to be called 'girl' for the rest of her life. She vaguely figured it would morph into 'woman' at some point, but she really wasn't sure. While she mused, Lyn came closer. She yelped slightly when Flea, exasperated, picked up her hand and forced the stone into it.

The stone was odd, black, but with a metallic silver sheen. It was heavier than its small size would suggest, and it was cold in Lyn's hand. Confused, she looked at her Mistress.

"Kisch," Flea explained. "A very unique stone, it reacts to the presence of magic. Now, since you've only healed when there's an injury…" Letting her sentence trail off, she took a knife from the table and attacked Lyn, leaving a shallow gash along the Human's arm.

The pain woke Lyn completely, while the shock of Flea's sudden action numbed her. It took a couple of heartbeats for Lyn to realize what Flea was wanting, and in that time blood welled in the cut and began leaking down her arm. Bringing her other hand up to cover the cut, Lyn realized that was the hand with the 'kisch'. Unwilling to see any reaction that might occur, Lyn closed her eyes before calling up her healing power.

As the wound healed over, Lyn was sure about something she'd thought she'd noticed earlier. Her tech was healing more than it had in the past, and it felt like it wasn't draining her as much, either. When the cut closed, Lyn opened her eyes, looking hesitantly first at the stone, then at Flea.

The Mazoku woman looked mildly disappointed as she took the stone back. "So… even yours isn't magic. And yet that makes no sense. Perhaps there's no element to it? Well, that would certainly be odd, but that might…" Paying absolutely no attention to Lyn, Flea walked around the table to the bookshelves, running a finger along the spines until she found the book she wanted. Pulling the book down, Flea put it on the table and opened it, muttering to herself as she read.

Lyn stayed where she was, shifting from one foot to another, trying to figure out if there was anything she was supposed to do. Nothing really came to mind, and Flea didn't seem to be wanting anything. Slowly, Lyn sank to the ground, trying to make herself more comfortable.

Flea spent most of the day working, not even breaking for any meal. Lyn wasn't sure what time it was when the Mazoku woman put down her quill and stretched. Looking at nothing in particular, Flea frowned, made a few more notes, then put both the quill and book down. Finally she stood and left the library, calling to Lyn to follow.

"Get out here, girl. It's time for dinner. You… stay here, girl, I'll send something up," Flea said, closing the door behind her. "Stay out of the library, and stay out of trouble." Lyn nodded, and Flea gave a soft sigh before going out the hallway door.

Pacing around the room, Lyn studied the bright tapestries. The yellow and blue both had black markings on them, in the flowing script she assumed was Medinian. The other two, violet and green, had red markings. It was all very pretty, and probably meant something, but Lyn couldn't guess what.

Sighing, Lyn sat on the white rug, not daring to risk sitting anywhere else. When the door opened, she leapt to her feet, expecting it to be Flea returning, though the Mazoku hadn't been gone long. Instead, a Human woman came in, wearing green and carrying a tray. Because Lyn was not expecting to see her mother here, it took her a few moments to recognize Shanda.

"M-mother?" Lyn whispered. Her hand brushed against her necklace as she remembered the dark look in Shanda's eyes the last time they had spoken.

There was no such look in Shanda's eyes now, as she looked at her daughter. "Lyn! Oh, blessed Lady, you're okay!"

"Why are you here?" Lyn asked, shaking her head slightly.

Shanda motioned with the covered tray. "I…work in the kitchens," she said, her pride in cooking warring with the shame of working for the enemy. "I was told to take some food to Lady Flea's new… well, to you, in her quarters."

"Slave, mother. You can say it, it's what I am…" Lyn whispered, taking the platter from her mother and sitting on the ground. "Even you're calling her 'Lady'… Esaku was afraid of her… Who _is_ Flea?"

"You don't… know?" Shanda asked incredulously, absently kneeling by her daughter. "I… well, I'm not sure, entirely, but… I think she's one of the Maou's three generals." The last part was rapidly whispered, as though Shanda was afraid.

Lyn froze, a piece of bread halfway to her mouth. "Oh. I guess… that would explain some things…" she muttered. She had assumed Flea was important, but not that important.

"But how about you?" Shanda asked, leaning forward. "You seem to be doing well, you even have jewelry. What's… been happening?" For a moment, suspicion darkened Shanda's eyes as she wondered why her daughter might be wearing a bit of mamono jewelry.

"I…" Lyn wasn't sure how to start, or even how much she should say. "My… tech has been very useful. Esaku… gave this to me as… a reward for my help." She didn't bring up what kind of help she had been. How could she admit to her mother that she had worked in the infirmary of the… enemy. To give herself more time to think, Lyn finished the bread and reached for the small segment of fruit.

"But… why are you _here_?" Shanda pressed.

Looking at something over her mother's shoulder, Lyn answered in a hollow voice, "Mistress found I could heal. Now… she is trying to find why techs are not magic." She looked at Shanda for a moment, a twisted smile on her face. "Did you know that my tech uses the same energies as the healer-mage's spells? And yet, it's still not magic." Lyn wasn't sure why she said that. Perhaps she just needed it said; perhaps she hoped her mother could accept it.

Neither slave noticed the tray was empty, as mother and daughter looked at each other. "How do you know that…? Lyn, just _what_ have you been doing?"

"…Living." Lyn shook her head and sighed. "You should leave now. You don't… want to make anyone angry."

Shanda picked up the empty tray and nodded a little. "Yes… I think I should. I… don't want to cause you problems."

Lyn didn't reply to Shanda's statement. There was silence as the Human woman left, nervous in a way Lyn could only barely understand. Once more, Lyn realized that she was different from other Humans, and for the first time she began to realize how far the difference went.

Flea came in shortly afterwards, seeming agitated. Slamming the main door shut behind her, Flea crossed the room in a dozen quick steps, going to the library door. Before Lyn could do more than take a couple steps closer to the library, Flea was out again, a slender glass vial in her hand. "Maou Ozzie has decided that I ought to be in Chorun spying, and not here. Drink this."

While she was slow in reaching for the vial, Lyn did take it from Flea's slick fingers. Looking at the liquid, Lyn asked, "What… this do, Mistress? It… look like… kisch." Indeed it did, as Lyn tilted the vial first one way and then another, sending the thick liquid roiling, metallic swirls following the momentary currents.

Unimpressed with her slave's observation, Flea snapped, "Drink it, girl, before I pour it down your throat. And then you'd best go to bed. Lizard knows _I_ won't want to put up with you."

Lyn uncorked the vial and downed the contents before she could think twice. It tasted hideous, like rancid herbs and bitter water mixed with some unknown metal. Lyn gagged, trying desperately not to vomit, while Flea watched dispassionately. Once they were both sure the liquid would stay down, Flea took back the vial and pointed towards Lyn's room, once more disappearing into the library herself. In no mood to argue, Lyn staggered to her room, sucking on a finger to get the aftertaste out of her mouth.

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So... what was that potion Flea had Lyn drink? Find out, next chapter! And please, review...


	16. Chapter 15

I still don't own Chrono Trigger. I had a kick-ass dream about Janus last night, though.

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The next day Lyn woke up with a headache. A very bad headache, and, as she discovered when she opened her eyes, occasional bouts of blurred or doubled vision. When Flea opened the door and the yellow firelight spilled into the darkness of Lyn's closet-sized room, Lyn groaned and flinched away.

"Oh, good, it's taking effect then. Well, come on, get up. I want to get you to Slash before I have to go," Flea said in reaction to Lyn's groan. The Mazoku was far too happy for Lyn's taste, and the sound of her voice was only making Lyn's headache worse.

Lyn crawled out of bed and went over to Flea, who was standing by the main door. When they entered the hallway, Lyn had to fight another groan, as the blue light seemed brighter than she remembered it. The quick journey through the windowless halls was made even more confusing by Lyn's difficulty focusing

Flea knocked on a nondescript wooden door and waited until it was answered. "What do you… Flea. Why are you here?" a bald, violet skinned man asked, half behind the door. From the fact that he gave Flea no title, Lyn assumed he was also a general, probably Slash.

"Well, you know I have to go to Chorun. And I can hardly take this girl with me," Flea answered calmly.

"So leave her in your rooms and make sure she's fed. Or send her to work somewhere else for a little while. Why are you bringing her here?"

Flea smiled sweetly. "Because I'm sure you can make use of her. I gave her that new potion I've been working on last night, by the way."

With a sigh, Slash opened the door all the way. "Fine, I can see I'm not getting out of this. I guess Maou Ozzie's boy can practice with her, or something."

"Thanks, love, I'll be sure and make it up to you later," Flea said, already walking away. Lyn, who had only followed the main thrust of the conversation, stayed where she was, looking at Slash uncertainly, and idly noticing he was wearing white as well.

Frowning at Lyn a little, Slash stepped out of the way, leaving the doorway clear for her to enter. Lyn did so, ducking her head as she passed the tall Mazoku. This room was fairly small, with bare walls and the same blue torches as everywhere else.

Going to one of the other two doors in the room, Slash asked, "How are you feeling, girl?"

Watching him move, Lyn realized that he was floating, booted toes hanging half a hands breath off the floor. She was so absorbed in her discovery that she forgot to answer Slash, and he had to repeat his question. This time she processed it, and replied, "Not… good, sir. Head… hurts. And… eyes."

Slash opened the door, and Lyn gave a cry, falling back. Sunlight spilled through the doorway from a dozen high windows in the next room, and Lyn couldn't see for the brightness. Slash frowned again and caught Lyn's arm, dragging her into the sunny room and shutting the door behind him.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Lyn heard a male voice asking in surprised recognition. She didn't understand why the owner of the voice sounded that way; she had never heard his voice before in her life.

"Flea left her with me for a while," Slash answered, guiding Lyn to a wall before releasing her. "She's going through the change right now, so that she can see properly, though knowing what Flea used, there'll be other effects as well."

Blinking her eyes and shaking her head in an attempt to clear her vision, Lyn only vaguely caught the words. "See… properly?" she asked, shading her eyes and looking towards Slash.

It was the unknown male who answered, sounding incredibly superior. "Mazoku see differently than Humans. Past the blue and violet we see, and into a color called huelin. So yes, see properly."

Lyn was silent, working through the sentence, which had used a few words she was unfamiliar with. As she thought, her eyes adjusted to the light, and she was able to see the other person clearly. He was Human, or at least he looked it, about her age, but with blue hair. She'd never seen blue hair on a Human before, though she'd heard legends of a nation of blue-haired Humans, and her own green wasn't so far away from blue.

Then Lyn realized that she had seen a blue-haired Human before, at the infirmary in Choras. "You! You did not move!" she accused in broken Medinian.

Slash gave a snort of laughter at the clumsy complaint, having pried the story from Janus earlier.

"You were wearing the colors of a healer-mage!" Janus defended. "Hell, you still are!" he pointed at the necklace she was wearing. "Human's aren't mages here, so forgive me for staring a little!"

"That Grimalkin almost die because you not move! I _not_ forgive!" Lyn yelled, taking a couple of steps closer while Slash simple stayed out of the way and laughed to himself at the spectacle.

"Well who _cares_ if you forgive me or not!" Janus shouted back, moving closer himself. "I don't need your forgiveness! I am Janus, under Maou Ozzie!"

Lyn paused for just a moment at this declaration, but the burgeoning triumph in Janus' eyes convinced her to continue, and it felt good to yell at someone. "You care! You ask, so you care!"

"Bah! I knew someone who spoke like you once; she couldn't even understand me. You probably can't even understand me, either!" Janus snorted, turning his back on Lyn.

"I not _done_ with you!" Lyn snarled, putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to turn him around, headache forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Much to Slash's pride, Janus did turn, using the momentum from the movement to throw a roundhouse punch at Lyn. It hit her cheek, but she didn't fall, as Janus hadn't put much power behind his blow. He wanted to shut Lyn up, not harm her.

"You bastard!" Lyn yelled in Zenese, having run out of words in Medinian. "You're a slave like me, and I am through letting arrogant pricks like you do whatever the hell they want!" She jumped Janus, trying to knock him to the ground, but satisfied with simply scratching and hitting him, no matter what happened.

Slash's laughter had become audible, but neither of the two fighting slaves noticed it. He knew Janus hadn't understood a word the girl had said in her native language, which was probably a good thing for the girl. Then again, Janus wasn't in a position to notice anything said to him, with Lyn clinging to him and beating at him with a free hand.

For his part, Janus was yelling at Lyn equally fervently in HIS native language. He was stronger than she was, and he knew more about fighting, so it wasn't any surprise when he managed to fling Lyn to the ground. Lyn started to scramble back up, but stopped as a deliberate chanting filled the air, similar to Janus' earlier yelling, but somehow more formal. A black orb grew at the end of the finger Janus pointed at her, and he glared at her, as though daring her to get up.

Slash had stopped laughing, and was now waiting to see if he'd have to intervene. Lyn snarled again at Janus, but recognized that black light was not something she wanted to risk. Breathing heavily, Janus used Medinian to ask, "Are you going to behave now?"

"Fine," Lyn agreed gracelessly. "What you want me do?"

Banishing the gathering spell, Janus smirked. "Heal my injuries, if you can," he sneered.

Lyn barely had to try, gathering the energy and practically hurling it at the arrogant boy, not stopping to think about the fact she had never healed from this distance before. While Janus healed, she also healed herself, only then remembering Slash's presence.

"Why did it take you so long to get her off of you, boy?" Slash queried.

"I never expected her to jump me! Sir," Janus answered indignantly.

"Always expect anyone to do anything!" Slash barked, gliding towards the middle of what Lyn now saw was a very large room. Stands of weapons stood along the wall opposite the windows, the occasional suit of armor among them.

Janus sighed, obviously having heard that advice before. "Yes sir," he muttered, arrogance leaking out of him.

"Girl," Slash called, getting Lyn's attention. "Today, just watch us, and learn what you can." He knew that she would most likely be a little out of it for most of a week from the effects of the potion Flea had given her, but then again, fights were rarely fair. Janus already knew what to expect, and prepared to attack his teacher and get his ass kicked, all in the name of learning how to fight.

Janus quickly learned that this time, it was not he who was supposed to be learning. Slash was only moving half as fast as he usually did, and he refused to go any faster, except when he had to dodge or block one of Janus' full speed attacks. Janus didn't exactly _mind_ the slower speed, but he soon discovered it was difficult to keep himself slowed down. He hoped it was worth it, but he expected that the girl was too stupid and in too much pain from the change to learn much of anything from watching a fight.

For her part, Lyn tried her best to watch the fight and simply follow what was going on. As the sun moved across the sky, the angle of light coming in through the high windows changed, and Lyn felt her headache returning. Her vision began to blur, colors swirling around, and the two fighters in the middle of the room seemed to be leaving color trails. Lyn blinked and shook her head, groaning as the motion only worsened things.

Slash signaled an end to the sparring match and looked over at Lyn. Her eyes were crossing and uncrossing, and when she tried to watch him float over too her, he saw that her tracking was slow. Landing, Slash knelt by Lyn and looked at her, grasping her chin to turn her head. "How are you feeling, girl?" he asked for the third time that day. He had heard reports of Flea's new potion, and its expected results, but this was the first time he was able to watch. It was supposed to change something in the Humans, something more than just their vision. Flea had bragged that it 'made Humans presentable', and that there had been cases were a human gained a tech afterwards. That was why Flea had been looking for a human who already had a tech. The mage General wanted to see what would happen.

"I…" Lyn tried to decide what to answer. "Colors… are blurring," she said in Zenese. "Because… my sight is changing?"

"Yes," Slash answered in the same language. "Try to relax, don't fight the change."

Janus had also come up, but didn't understand the conversation. Remembering when his own eyesight had been changed, however, he asked, "Colors getting weird, girl?"

"It's _Lyn_, Janus," she hissed, feeling that she could risk at least correcting him. "Yes, colors weird."

"Fine, _Lyn_," Janus said, giving in mostly to avoid another pointless fight. "But when the colors go weird on you, just sit back and enjoy it. That's what I did."

"And with headache?" Lyn asked sourly.

"Try not to think," Janus answered, laughter in his voice. "That should be easy for you."

Lyn started to stand, but Slash, still kneeling by her, stopped her, holding her down with one hand. "He'll just beat you again," the Mazoku pointed out in a low voice. "Just take his advice." Lyn sighed and stopped struggling. Satisfied, Slash stood and continued training Janus.

With both Slash and Janus giving Lyn the same advice, she had little choice but to take it. Sitting on the floor in the warm sunlight, the Human girl watched the two men spar back and forth, one or the other leaving a trail of too-bright color. The bottom of Slash's long coat flowed as he spun and hovered, dodging Janus' attacks and giving his own in return. Likewise, the storm blue of Janus' hair seemed to float on the wind his motions created. It seemed less like a fight and more like a very complicated, beautiful dance to Lyn's confused mind.

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As always, please review.


	17. Chapter 16

I still don't own Chrono Trigger. Lots of Janus in this chapter.

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Lyn spent that night in the dojo, on a bed Janus had made up for her at Slash's order. The next day, and the day after that as well, she simply watched, head and face and even _ears_ hurting too much for her to function. When it was placed before her, she would eat the food that Janus brought. By the evening of the third day, most of her headache had receded, and her curiosity had increased enough that she asked, "You… are owned by the Maou, no?"

Janus paused, hand still on the plate he had put down, wondering what had prompted that question. "Yes, I am," he admitted.

"Why… are you with Slash?"

"Master Ozzie told Sir Slash to 'teach me about life'," Janus explained. "Like how Lady Flea brought you here."

Lyn looked at the food, thinking about what Janus had said. "Oh. I… should call him sir, no?"

The naivete of the question startled a laugh out of Janus. "Yes, you should," he answered, smiling a little.

There was a pause, and Janus stood, thinking the conversation was over. He had turned away when Lyn surprised him again, asking another question. "That was magic?"

He turned and looked down at her, trying to remember what she was referencing. Seeing his confusion, Lyn expounded on her meaning. "When we fight. You chant, and… dark light…" By the Lady, she hated this, not having the words she needed.

"Oh, that. Yes, I was preparing to cast Dark Bomb," Janus nodded, sitting back down.

"Humans… no have magic. You say that!" Lyn protested.

Janus shook his head a little. "Humans here. _Earthbound_ don't have magic, and that's all any Human is anymore."

Lyn looked disappointed. "Oh… You… no Human. S-sorry."

Again Janus shook his head, silencing Lyn. "I'm Human. I'm not Earthbound. Don't worry, you don't know the difference."

Another moment passed in silence, and suddenly Lyn handed Janus a piece of bread. "You eat?" she asked, somewhat surprised that she was able to have a civil conversation with the boy she had thought was an ass three days ago.

Having learned the value of eating when he had the chance, Janus took the bread. "How… did you get here?" he asked, feeling curious and wanting to pass some time. His tasks were done for the day, but he wasn't quite ready to go to his small bed.

"My home… Esaku's clan attacked. When he… told go to Choras, he take me. M-mistress Flea come and… take me from his home," Lyn told her story, trying to keep her emotions detached, but only partially succeeding. "And… you?"

Janus' face darkened, but he answered, giving the barest outline of his story. "I was separated from my family. Master Ozzie found me and brought me here."

Lyn opened her mouth to apologize, but something in Janus' stern face stopped her and made her think twice. She wouldn't appreciate someone apologizing for actions they had not done, she realized, and so she closed her mouth, words unsaid. Janus stood again, taking the empty plate with him, and mutely ended the conversation by turning away and leaving Lyn in gathering darkness of the dojo as the light died outside.

It was the sun that woke Lyn, just as it had the last two days, shinning in through the east corner of the south-facing windows. Stretching, she realized she felt better than she had in days, and although the remnants of her headache still pained her, they didn't impede her.

"You look better," Slash observed, coming into the dojo with Janus trailing.

Lyn smiled at him and nodded. "Good morning, Sl- ah, Sir Slash. Yes, I feel better." She blushed a little as she nearly missed the honorific, especially since Slash had probably been kinder to her than Flea would have been.

Slash didn't comment on Lyn's slip. She had clearly learned the proper address only recently, and as long as she remembered to use it, and corrected her slips, he didn't mind them. "Then you're going to spar with him," Slash jerked his head toward Janus. "It's good to get practice fighting different people, and you put on such a good show last time."

"I promise not to use any spells this time," Janus added, going to the middle of the room.

"Ah… right…" Lyn muttered, standing and hesitantly approaching Janus. "Umm… What do I do…?"

Rolling his eyes, Janus said, "Attack me. You were happy enough to do so the other day."

"Well, but… that was—"

"Attack me!" Janus interrupted harshly, voice echoing through the room. "It was different? You were angry? Then get angry again, idiot girl, and attack me!" Lyn took a step back, used to avoiding other's anger, denying her own to pacify them and protect. "Attack me!" Janus repeated, stepping forward to maintain the distance. "It felt good when you hit me, didn't it? So what are you _waiting _fo—"

With a yell, Lyn launched herself at Janus, trying to punch him. With a derisive laugh, Janus moved out of the way, letting her fist brush past him. Stumbling beyond the boy a little, Lyn turned to find Janus already facing her again. She paused a moment before moving closer and punching again, trying to hit his body this time. Once again Janus dodged, skipping backwards, away from her. Lyn charged him, snarling, and this time he held his ground, letting her take him to the stone floor and then rolling so that he was on top. "Now what?" he asked, smirking and holding Lyn's hands above her head.

"Arg, get _off_ me," Lyn yelled, struggling.

"Make me," Janus answered.

"I can't! You bigger and heavy! _And_ you have my hands!"

"But not your legs," Janus pointed out.

As expected, Lyn proceeded to try and knee Janus, which he avoided by scooting back a little and using his weight to hold her thighs down. Janus suddenly realized he was sitting on a female, and Lyn, perhaps sensing his distraction, took her chance and freed her arms. With her arms free, Lyn was able to twist, throwing Janus off of her. They both scrambled to their feet and away from each other, something that might have been a blush lightly coloring Janus' cheeks.

"Not bad, but don't think you'll get lucky a second time!" Janus said, preparing for a second round.

Lyn tried to consider an attack that wouldn't end with her on the floor. The sun caught Janus' hair, and something about the color distracted Lyn. This time it was Janus who took advantage of a distraction, rushing Lyn and twisting her arm behind her, trapping it between her back and his chest, his free arm coming around her throat.

It took Lyn a moment to realize she was trapped. Grabbing the arm around her neck with her left hand, she tried to pull it back, which only resulted in Janus tightening his hold. Finally she sighed and stopped fighting, and Janus rewarded her by easing up on her throat, allowing her to breathe. "Wasn't ready… doesn't matter?" she asked in a resigned manner.

"You heard what Sir Slash said," Janus answered cheerily. "'Always expect anyone to do anything.'"

"Always… expect anyone… to do anything," Lyn repeated, going over the meaning in her mind. "Right. So, we do this again?"

Janus smile, releasing Lyn with a spinning motion to put himself out of her reach for a little while. As soon as she had recovered, she attacked again, assuming that Janus was already following the advice he had given her. Slash let them spar, noticing how Janus would direct Lyn with his words or motions, slowly increasing the types of his attack and letting Lyn learn by mimicking him. Janus' technique was also improving, as he had to think about his movements and he began to understand them better.

About half way through the day, Slash called an end to Janus and Lyn's practice. He had seen Lyn faltering, her movements slowing, as well as her eyes lingering on items he knew she was beginning to see differently. "Take a break. If you push too hard, you'll ruin your body. Sit, both of you." When the Humans had complied, Slash also sat on the floor, looking at Lyn. He thought he might be imagining it, but her skin looked brighter to his vision, and her ears were beginning to form points, a distinctly Mazoku trait. "Things are starting to look different to you," he said, and it wasn't a question.

Lyn nodded, not sure what to say. "I… yes, sir."

"Don't worry about it too much. He went through the same thing," Slash said, again motioning towards Janus to indicate 'he'. It was the second time Slash had gone out of his way to avoid using the name of one of the slaves, and Lyn was beginning to realize that it was completely intentional. He knew their names, in both cases, and yet he refused to use them. Esaku had done the same thing, Lyn realized, though it hadn't been as obvious. And yet, none of the Mazoku she had met had any problems using the names of other _Mazoku_.

"Th-thank you, sir," Lyn said quietly.

"Right, that's enough of a break. Boy, on your feet. You and me, now," Slash declared suddenly, standing. Lyn scooted back to the wall while Janus stood, and then Slash and Janus were fighting again.

Watching the conflict, Lyn found herself looking for the new color Janus had mentioned when she first came here. What had he said… beyond blue, and beyond violet, the Mazoku could see… What had he called it? She couldn't remember. But apparently, she would be seeing it herself fairly soon. And this was fairly common… at least, Janus had been through this. But then, maybe he was a special case? What would that make her, then? Flea had come for her, knowing about her healing tech. Flea had come for her… _because_ of her healing tech. The Mazoku woman had said it herself, that if Lyn had not been able to heal the burnt slave, then Flea would have been wasting her time.

But her tech _wasn't_ magic. Flea had said so, and even Janus agreed. It wasn't magic. It wasn't. It was just… unusual. And seeing differently… it was just a gift. A gift, something added to her normal abilities. She was still human. She had just… changed a little.

The same strange flash of color in Janus' hair that had distracted Lyn earlier caught her eye again. She tried to focus on it, but it was gone, and she wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, or her eyes simply couldn't see the color right. She wondered how things would change, and how much different things would look different to her afterwards.

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Pretty please review? At least tell me what you think of the color thing?


	18. Chapter 17

No, I still don't own Chrono Trigger. Why do I have to say this every chapter? Oh well, on with the story!

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The next day was the same, with Lyn fighting Janus, unprovoked this time. She didn't feel like she was accomplishing anything, as she still ended up on the ground as often as not. The rest of the time she was usually finding out about some interesting new way Janus could twist her that she couldn't escape from. On the third day of her unofficial training, Slash suddenly intervened shortly after they started.

"I think Flea's back," he said shortly, gliding towards the door. The blue light warred with the sunlight when he opened the wooden door, and Lyn heard him speaking softly.

Lyn wasn't particularly surprised to hear the voice of her Mistress a few moments later. "Girl! Get out here, it's time to go!"

"Bye, Janus," Lyn said quickly.

"Luck, Lyn," he answered, a strange half-smile on his face.

Stepping from the sun-lit room into the antechamber, Lyn had to fight to keep walking, not stop, and stare. There were many small changes in what she saw, little things, like the walls. They were the same stone walls that had been in the dojo, but they seemed brighter, with small veins tracing through them.

"You're only _now_ noticing huelin?" Flea asked in an off-put voice.

Lyn blinked a moment, trying to remember where she'd heard that word before. Oh, that was right! Janus had mentioned it; it was the name of the new color she was supposed to be seeing. Lyn answered as they walked away from Slash's rooms. "No, Mistress. There… not much in the room I in."

"We have got to work on your grammar," Flea sighed. "Look at your necklace and tell me if the left stone is black."

Confused, Lyn did as she was told, giving a small gasp when she saw the stone. It most certainly was not black, though it wasn't any color she'd seen before. "It… dark, but not black, Mistress," she answered.

"No, it's actually a very bright huelin, but I suppose you're not too far behind. I'll still have to wait a few days… Have you used your tech since I left?"

Still looking at the stone, and trying to see how that could be called 'bright', Lyn answered, "Yes, Mistress."

"Was it easier? Harder? More effective? Less effective?"

"E-easier, Mistress. And…" Lyn paused a moment, suddenly realizing she had healed Janus from a couple of paces away. "More… I not have to be close."

"Easier, and increased range… wonderful…" Flea muttered, trailing off and muttering to herself for the rest of the journey through the halls.

Lyn was realizing that the castle was not nearly as dark and gloomy as she had thought. The stone walls were brighter, the tapestries had more detail, and parts of it were so beautiful that she almost wanted to cry. Why did her race want to destroy all of this? Why were they so determined to name the Mazoku simple 'monsters'?

The memory of Tobias' death, and Herbert's along with everyone who'd followed him, and even the way Flea had so casually injured the slave girl, reminded Lyn why the Humans fought. She didn't understand how one nation could have such casual cruelty and such beautiful art at the same time.

Entering Flea's chambers, Lyn realized that this was the only place she'd seen any red in the castle. Or in all the Mazoku lands, she recognized, thinking back on it. "M-mistress?" she asked.

Looking over her shoulder, Flea raised a brow inquisitively. "What is it, girl?"

"Why… is the color red only here?" Lyn said, fairly pleased with herself. She was pretty sure she'd gotten that sentence correct.

"Heh. Most Mazoku don't see red, and there aren't enough Human-born for red to be very fashionable," Flea answered, pleased that her slave was actually thinking about things.

Lyn looked around the room, obviously trying to imagine it without any of the red in it. She wasn't able to do it, and gave up, shaking her head. "You don't see red, we don't see… huelin. How odd."

Flea went to her library, and Lyn followed almost automatically. "Watch this," Flea instructed, lighting one pair of candelabras with the normal yellow flame. Pointing towards the bookshelves, she commented, "You won't get the full effect, but it will still be interesting." Without explaining her comment, the mage gestured and lit the other two candelabras.

When the blue flames started burning, Lyn gasped. The black wood of the shelves paled into something she was only just learning to recognize as huelin. Books changed colors, some gained titles, and Lyn turned to Flea. "Why… the blue fire. It… lights things right for… see huelin? Ah, Mistress?"

"Exactly," the mage answered. Pulling down the same book from earlier, Flea turned to the very back this time, and reached for a quill that was nearly lost among the other stuff on the table. She made a few notes with practiced motions, then stopped, brushing the feather against her lips and looking at Lyn measuringly. "Well, I suppose we've got a few options right now. First, let's find out if you can use your tech when it's not needed. Use it on me."

Lyn focused inward, trying to find the energy she needed. Pulling the power out, she hesitantly reached towards the Mazoku, trying to send the healing to her. The tech fizzled, died, the energy spreading back through Lyn. She looked at Flea, worry in her brown eyes. "Maybe… I need be close?"

Flea raised a brow and gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Then get closer, girl," she drawled.

Not completely sure if she trusted Flea, Lyn nevertheless approached. Stretching her hands toward her Mistress' bare arm, Lyn stopped a short distance from the skin before impulsively touching that too-smooth flesh. She told herself that the tech was more likely to work if she had skin to skin contact.

Again she focused, finding the energy quickly. Trying to direct it into the arm beneath her hand, Lyn felt a tingle. Instinctively, she pulled back before tingle grew into pain, looking up at Flea and hoping she hadn't displeased the mage. "I… can't. You… not need healing, Mistress."

"Why did you pull back?" Flea whispered, leaning in closer to Lyn.

"It… was going to hurt. The, ah… the power, it…" Lyn had to stop, not having the words to say what she wanted.

"Backlash," Flea said, her exhalation barely enough to carry the word to her slave's ears. "You had to stop to avoid the backlash…" With the same shifting of attention that she had shown before, Flea abruptly left, brushing past Lyn with an order to "Stay here, girl."

Flea came back a short while later with another slave. Lyn had as sinking feeling as she looked at the young man, sure that Flea had brought him for Lyn to… demonstrate with. And so it proved; Flea cut him, and then sent Lyn to the other side of room, seeing how far away Lyn could be and still use her tech. The distance proved to be only a few steps, ten at the furthest.

Once that was found, Flea directed Lyn to stand inside a circle inscribed on the floor. Looking at the circle to avoid seeing the Mazoku's knife flash again, Lyn saw the ring was made of something that resembled the kisch she had seen earlier, formed into an unbroken circle of shimmering black. When she glanced back up, Lyn saw that the slave was bleeding again, and within her range. Collecting the energy, she 'threw' it at him. The light died at the edge of the circle. Confused, Lyn tried again, and again the healing light faded when it tried to cross the kisch band.

"Mistress? Why can't I…?"

Flea answered Lyn by smirking and chanting, shooting a stream of fire at the Human girl. Lyn stepped back, wondering what she had done wrong, but she found the flames stopped at the same point her own tech had. A sudden surge of huelin drew Lyn's eyes to the stone, and as she watched, it faded back to black. Looking back at Flea, Lyn saw she was still smirking. "That kisch has been specially treated. It blocks all magic, and, as you saw, it blocks techs as well," the Mazoku woman explained, walking closer. "Even ones," she delicately crossed the line, "As _unusual_ as yours. Quite interesting, isn't it, girl?" she asked, running a finger along Lyn's cheekbone.

Lyn worked her mouth, but no sound came out, and she wasn't sure what to say at any rate. Why was Flea acting this way, treating her this way? "Ah… Yes, Mistress. It… is. Interesting…"

Flea traced Lyn's jawbone, then her neck down too the collarbone. "This is proving to be… quite the puzzle, girl. Quite the puzzle…"

The slave's shifting broke the mood, both Lyn and Flea looking over the Mazoku's shoulder at him. Turning away from Lyn, Flea walked toward the man, hips swaying. "I suggest you leave now, boy," she purred, in a manner Lyn was beginning to recognize as dangerous.

The boy was not stupid, and he knew to take an out when one was offered to him. He bowed his head and scurried out, leaving as fast as he could without out and out running, and not caring that he still bled.

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Please review!


	19. Chapter 18

And another chapter... Flea is a bit of a... well, you'll see. This chapter and the next are part of what put the rating up. No, I don't own chrono trigger...

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"Girl," Flea's soft voice knifed through the silence. Lyn looked up from the kisch circle to see what her Mistress wanted. She knew Flea wasn't angry; she had been playing with the circle for a while now, and Flea hadn't stopped her.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"It's time to go to bed," the mage answered, in that special, too-kind purr which put Lyn on her guard.

Lyn nodded and stood, following Flea out of the library. When Lyn started to go to her own small room, Flea put a hand on her arm. "No," she murmured. "With me tonight, girl." Gently, the Mazoku guided Lyn to the final door, on the wall between the violet and yellow tapestries.

It was the first time Lyn had been in the Mazoku's bedroom, and she took a moment to look around. There was a large monstrosity of a bed in the corner, big enough for at least three people, Lyn estimated. A wardrobe stood next to the bed, and a fireplace sat in the other corner, a fire already burning, a small table sitting before it. Without surprise, Lyn realized that this room, like the rest of Flea's rooms, was done mostly in white and reds.

"Come here, girl," Flea called, removing a pot from near the fire. "I've been gone from the castle, and the smell of the Human villages clings to me." As she spoke, she poured water from the pot into a large bucket. Lyn approached, and Flea, done with pouring, traced Lyn's ear. "And traces still cling to you, girl. I think we both must get rid of this reek."

Lyn let her fingers follow the trail Flea's had taken, and she gasped, looking at Flea in alarm. "What has happened to me? My ear…"

"I have made you more attractive," Flea answered, looking at the changes her potion had wrought on Lyn's body. The Human's ears were pointed, not as fully as they would be in a day or two, but it was a definite improvement. Some of the red had been leeched from her skin, leaving her paler to Mazoku eyes, and perhaps faintly blue-toned to Humans. Her eyes, though, Flea had to admit the eyes were her favorite change. They had not turned pink, like the eyes of most huelin-sighted Human-born, but red, deep and bloody. "And you are beautiful," Flea whispered.

"I am not Human now," Lyn answered, panic in her now-red eyes.

Panic did not serve Flea's purpose, and so she soothed the girl. "Yes you are. You act Human, and so you _are_ Human, though it is a state only fools wish to remain in. What does it matter? You are beautiful to me, and I am your Mistress." Seeing the fear leave her slave's eyes, at least for the moment, Flea smiled and gave her a cloth.

While Lyn looked blankly at the cloth her Mistress had given her, the Mazoku woman undressed. Lyn blushed when she realized Flea was naked, and tried not to look. Unbinding her hair, which fell to her waist, Flea gave a laugh, saying, "You too, girl."

To any other Mazoku, Lyn's face would appear black, but Flea was able to appreciate the bright red flush that now colored Lyn's features. Going back over the conversation, Lyn realized that Flea _had_ said Lyn was supposed to clean herself as well. Under Flea's insistent gaze, Lyn pulled her shift off, baring her own unimpressive body to the air.

"Now… clean me off first," Flea directed, standing beside the table in front of the fire.

Lyn dipped the rag in the water, which had cooled to a comfortable temperature. Wringing out enough water to contain the dripping, Lyn knelt and took one of Flea's feet and started washing. The leg was easy enough, but when Lyn started to pass the knee, she wasn't quite sure what to do. After a moment, she decided to start on the other leg, as she wouldn't have to stand for that. When that was done, Lyn rinsed the rag out and then stood.

Flea waited patiently, wondering how her slave would go about this. Seeing Lyn was reaching for a hand, Flea let her have it, enjoying the gentle rubbing of the cloth against her skin, while the heat from the fire prevented chills. Lyn stopped at the shoulder, then switched to the other side.

Hitting the shoulder on the other side, Lyn didn't even think when she brushed the pink hair off Flea's back. The strands were slightly rough, the hair more coarse than Lyn had expected, especially contrasted against the slick skin. Once the hair was moved, Lyn cleaned the rag out again, then started scrubbing Flea's back. Now and again her hand would brush against Flea's skin, and as the bath continued, Lyn let her hand linger.

Rinsing the cloth, she started on the Mazoku's hips, going around to wash Flea's belly. When it came time to go higher, Lyn paused a moment, looking up at Flea. The mage raised a brow, silently asking why Lyn had stopped, and Lyn looked down, moving the cloth over Flea's well formed breasts. She swallowed dryly, face red again, as she felt her Mistress' chest under the cloth. As soon as she was done, Lyn turned away, wringing the rag out and getting more water. She knew without asking that she still had more to clean.

Again she started at the hips, moving down this time, reaching around to clean Flea's posterior. Moving on to the rest of the legs, the parts she had ignored the first time, Lyn stopped again as she past the inner thigh. This time Flea reached down, strong fingers wrapping around the Human's hand. Lyn didn't even think of fighting as Flea guided her hand up, using the rag and her slave's hand to cleanse her secret parts. When the slender fingers released the girl, Lyn didn't immediately pull away.

Flea gave a hum of pleasure, and Lyn snatched her hand away, dropping the rag. "My hair, girl, and then you can wash yourself," the Mazoku said, unperturbed.

Unable to look at Flea after what had happened, Lyn slowly reached for the rag. Just as she reached it, Flea bent and snatched the cloth from the floor, handing it to Lyn with a predatory smile. Lyn flinched back, rag in hand, but Flea had stood again, and seemed to be watching the fire. After a moment of stillness, Lyn rinsed the cloth in the warm water again, then stood.

Clumsily gathering Flea's hair in a bunch, Lyn shivered as the coarse strands grazed her skin. It made her feel like she wanted something, but she couldn't put a name to her desires. She lifted the rag, this time almost dripping, and wrung the water into the pink hair. Spreading the rag out, Lyn started rubbing the hair, brushing against Flea's ears. She wanted to explore more, she realized; she wanted to compare the Mazoku's ears to her own, but she didn't dare.

"Done, Mistress," Lyn said finally, stepping back and dropping the cloth into the bucket.

Flea turned and smiled again. "Your turn," she said sweetly.

Red eyes widened, and then Lyn realized that she would be allowed to wash herself. A moment later, she felt stupid for even considering that her Mistress might bathe her, no matter how suggestive her tone might have been. She told herself that she didn't feel disappointed; that it was relief she was feeling.

As she washed, she found her skin was heated. Her breasts were sensitive, much to her surprise. Lyn tried to reach her back, only to feel the rag plucked from her hands. "It is impossible to wash your own back, girl," Flea said, brushing the green hair to one side and running the cloth over the Human's skin. When she was done, she again gave the rag to Lyn, and left her alone as the girl finished washing.

Finishing with her hair, Lyn put the rag back in the bucket and looked up at Flea. Confused emotions mixed in Lyn's eyes, and Flea smiled victoriously. The girl wanted her, but wasn't even aware of what she wanted. And when she gave the girl what she wanted, the girl would be hers, totally.

"Doesn't that feel better now?" Flea purred.

Lyn didn't know how to answer, at first thinking the mage was asking about her desires. Bringing her mind back to reality, Lyn gave a cautious nod. "Yes, Mistress. I… feel better."

"Good. Off to bed now." With that, Flea walked to her own bed, damp hair brushing the small of her back as she walked.

Once the mage was in bed, Lyn was able to look away, grabbing her shift and hurrying out the door. Safely in her own small room, Lyn tried to catch her breath, dressing and laying in her bed. The strange burning of desire kept her awake for a long while, and when she slept, she had heated and confused dreams involving things she wasn't even sure were possible.

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So... that HAS to get some responses... :P


	20. Chapter 19

And this is the other part of why I rated the fic M. Go paranoid ratings. Anyways, I do hope you enjoy. Chrono Trigger is not mine, it belongs to SquarEnix.

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The next morning, Lyn was awake before Flea came for her. The mage didn't act as though anything unusual had happened, ordering Lyn to get up. "I have a new task for you today, girl." Lyn stood, again following Flea to the Mazoku's bedroom, feeling a thrill of what she told herself was fear.

Going to the wardrobe, Flea opened it, displaying the clothing she kept in it. "I want this organized," she stated. "Dresses together, organized by color, shirts, skirts, hose, all gone through and organized by color. I'll let you decide how the colors go."

Lyn went to the closet and looked at the clothes, trying to decide how she would fulfill this instruction. Glancing at Flea, she saw that the Mazoku had gone to her bed and was currently sitting, propped up by some pillows, and reading a book. Figuring she wasn't going to get any help, Lyn decided to simply remove everything from the wardrobe, and then put them back in, using the correct order.

Some of the dresses were soft and fine, like something the Queen might wear, if Guardia had currently had a Queen. Others were sturdier, made for warmth or for working. The shirts and skirt displayed the same scope of fabrics and uses, and Lyn almost wondered if it would be better to organize by type, rather than color, but a huelin skirt caught her eye, and she realized that this was probably a test.

She decided to use a rainbow for the order of the colors. Red first, then orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, violet… wait, that didn't look right. Lyn looked at the purple, then the violet, and realized that they were not the same color, and purple didn't belong there at all. After a couple of tests, she finally stuck it before the red, where it seemed to work. And then huelin went after the violet… and for no real reason, she put the black after that, then the one or two gray dresses, followed by the white. On the dresses that had more than one color, Lyn just went with the color that she first thought of when she saw the dress.

While her slave worked, Flea watched, book only for show. She almost laughed with the mistake involving the one purple dress she owned, and it was clear the girl still couldn't quite see right, as several shades of huelin were cheerfully messed up, but all in all it was good enough. Flea made a mental note to move that dark huelin dress _out_ of the 'black to gray' section and over to where it belonged, just for her own piece of mind.

As Lyn organized, she found a tattered green dress. The ragged hem looked as though it would reach about to the knee, but Lyn couldn't immediately figure out how one would wear the top. Holding it against herself, she saw that the top was more of a front, tapering from the waist to the neck, with two bands, probably used to tie it on.

"Oh, _that_ dress," Flea drawled, putting the book to the side. "I had forgotten I had that one. It really wouldn't suit me anymore, would it, girl?"

"No, Mistress. It… wouldn't." Lyn had forgotten that Flea was watching, and her statement took the slave by surprise.

"Well, hand it here, girl, and then get back to work."

Dinner was carried in some time later by a frightened girl. Lyn, newly done with her task, went and took the tray from the girl, seeking to protect her by keeping her from Flea. Lyn herself seemed the only one Flea had shown mercy too, though Lyn wasn't sure why that was, or if she had even guessed correctly.

Taking the tray to Flea, neither paid attention as the serving girl left, pleased her task had gone so well. Flea motioned to the expanse of empty bed. "Eat with me, girl. You have worked all day, and must be hungry."

Lyn heard the tone in her Mistress' voice, and knew this was not a simple invitation. She got onto the bed, sitting opposite Flea. "Thank you, Mistress," Lyn murmured.

"Do they have this, where you are from?" Flea asked, pointing at a small bowl full of small magenta berries.

Lyn studied the fruit, then shook her head as she took one. "No, Mistress, I have not seen this." Tasting it, she found it to be quite tart.

Flea gave a melodic laugh at the face Lyn made. "Kala berries are best with honey, or with the purple fruit," she explained, demonstrating by taking a kafa berry and dipping it in the thick golden honey. Putting the dripping berry in her mouth, Flea then licked her fingers clean, watching Lyn from the corner of her eye.

Mimicking her Mistress, Lyn tried the new fruit in the honey. The sweetness of the honey underlay the tartness of the berry, the two flavors complementing each other, mixing into something delicious. "Kala berries… It very good, Mistress. Thank you."

The meal continued mostly in silence. When Flea had eaten her fill, she put the tray aside, leaning off the bed to reach the floor. Lyn started to stand, but Flea's voice stopped her. "Stay, girl," the mage ordered, sitting back up. "It is not yet time for sleep." Looking at the green-haired slave, Flea smiled and said, "I told you that you were beautiful last night, did I not?"

Flea's tone raised the unfamiliar longing in Lyn, and the Human slowly nodded. "You… did, Mistress." Lyn swallowed, then whispered in a voice not meant to be heard, "But I think you are more beautiful."

"Take off you shift," Flea ordered, still with a gentle voice. She didn't want to break the girl; that would be no fun. "Let me see you."

Startled red eyes met insistent lavender, and then Lyn dropped her gaze and slowly lifted her shift. It was no big deal, she tried to tell herself. Flea had been able to see it all last night. Just as she had seen all of Flea.

With the girl naked and sitting on the bed, Flea had her exactly where she was wanted. Before Lyn could quite realize what was happening, Flea crawled over her, gently pushing her down to lay on the bed. The Mazoku made sure she that she was low enough to brush against Lyn's skin, and couldn't help purring when she saw the Human's nipples harden. Tracing Lyn's hip, Flea was again surprised at the very Human softness of her skin. She didn't look very Human any more, but she still felt Human.

"Wh-what are you doing, Mi-mistress?" Lyn gasped as slender fingers trailed up to her collarbone.

"Shh," Flea soothed, sitting up and removing her own dress. "There, is this better?" Bending over Lyn again, their breasts touched. Lyn gasped, and Flea moved down a little, staying in contact with Lyn the whole way.

Warmth enveloped one pert nipple, and Lyn gave another cry, unsure how to process her Mistress' actions. A smooth, smooth hand cupped the underside of Lyn's other breast, then Flea moved it up to play with that nipple, and this time Lyn bucked a little. Flea smiled around the breast she was sucking on, very pleased with Lyn's responsiveness. She always enjoyed sex more when it was with an innocent; they never knew how to react, and couldn't keep their emotions masked. And she was always gentle the first time, always made them the priority.

Raising her head, Flea looked at Lyn, smiling at the dumbfounded expression the Human wore. Her lavender gaze dropped to the necklace Lyn still wore, and a frown flittered over the Mazoku's face. That was a reminder of another time, another Master, and it no longer had any place on _her_ slave. Not giving Lyn time to recover her thoughts, Flea sat up, turned the necklace, and quickly untied the cords.

A flash of something showed in crimson eyes, and Flea moved against Lyn to distract the girl. "I'm going to make you feel, more than you have ever felt before in your life, girl," Flea promised, absently putting the pendant on the nightstand. Nudging Lyn's legs apart, Flea placed herself between them, lowering her head.

Lyn looked down, the contrast of pink hair against her own green curls catching her mind, then Flea did _something_, and all thoughts shattered. A choked gasp was pulled from Lyn's throat, her head snapping back. Flea was _licking her_, Lyn realized hazily, her mouth against the secret place, tongue doing Lady knew what, and it felt _good_. It felt good, and this couldn't be sex, because women didn't like sex, and anyway, Flea wasn't a man, and men were needed for sex, but if this wasn't sex then why was Flea paying such attention to that place?

Listening to the cries her actions caused, Flea smiled again, glancing up long enough to see the confused pleasure on her slave's face. Sweet Magician, she would enjoy teaching this girl, almost as much as she would enjoy finding out what the potion did to those who already had techs. A final lick caused Lyn to scream and shudder, and Flea knew the girl had just felt her first release. That would be enough for now. She could teach the girl her proper place on the next night.

Lyn couldn't think. Her mind was a whirl and thoughts wouldn't come. All she could do was lay there and _feel_, more than she had ever felt, exactly as Flea had promised. Blinking, ideas slowly returning, Lyn tried to sit up a little.

"Stay here, this night," Flea said, moving off Lyn and pulling the covers back. "Sleep with me."

Not in any mood to argue the strange order, Lyn did as she was told, clumsily crawling under the covers Flea held back. The bed was very soft, she thought, barely noticing as Flea moved under the covers herself. Before Flea had even stopped moving, Lyn was asleep.

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Yes, I did do that. Feel free to tell me what you think. Next update on Wednesday.


	21. Chapter 20

Aaah, and here we finally hit the next big 'thing' to happen. That potion takes its final effects.

And I don't own Chrono Trigger

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"Up, girl, get _up_," Flea insisted, already dressed, as she roughly prodded the girl. Lyn sat up, momentarily forgetting she was naked from last nights' activities. The view temporarily calmed Flea, and Lyn's nipples hardened as the air caressed them.

"Wha… Mi-Mistress!" Lyn pulled the covers higher, eyes darting around the room. Spying her discarded shift on the floor, she left the bed and made a dive for it. Flea's laugh brought her up short, and she turned slowly to face the Mazoku.

Flea was holding the dress from yesterday, the worn green one. "Wear this, girl," she said, throwing it to Lyn. "I want the whole nation to know you are mine." A strange eagerness, an almost manic possessiveness, colored her voice.

Catching the cloth awkwardly, Lyn shook it out, trying to figure out how it went. Pulling it over her head, the waist caught on her hips exactly like it was supposed to. After a few moments of looking, Lyn pulled the front up, tying the straps around her neck. It covered her, she supposed, even though it left her back bare, and her legs below the knees.

Lyn felt positively indecent, and prayed to the Lady that no one would ever see her in this. Or at least, no one other than Flea; it was already too late to hide from her. These thoughts about her modesty kept Lyn busy, and she didn't realize she was not wearing her necklace until after Flea and she reached the library.

"Into the circle, girl," Flea said, smiling.

Lyn went to the circle, shivering as her hair brushed against her naked back. She knew her Mistress was watching, and the thought reminded her of last night. Stopping at the center, Lyn turned just in time to see Flea cross the shimmering black kisch border.

Flea's smile turned cold and cruel the moment she crossed the line. In a velvety voice, she ordered, "Stay in the circle," and then began the rhythmic chant Lyn had heard twice before.

What have I done wrong, Lyn thought in a flash as she watched the spell reach completion. Flea brought a hand to her lips, and as she blew the flames toward Lyn, the Human dodged. Flea smirked, then repeated the last few words of her chant, sending another stream of flames towards Lyn. Suddenly grateful for the tiny amount of fighting she had done with Janus, Lyn rolled away yet again, wondering if she dared attack the Mazoku.

The dilemma slowed Lyn, and Flea's next spell hit, burning Lyn, though nothing actually caught on fire. Debating weather she had time to heal herself slowed Lyn again, and again she got burnt. A part of her brain realized Flea had to be using weaker attacks then the other times she'd cast, just from the fact Lyn wasn't taking much damage. Yet another spell was cast, and this time Lyn dodged again, and she started healing the moment she stood.

To her glee, Lyn found she could heal fast enough that she could still dodge, and that was how the day passed, with Flea calmly casting fire at Lyn, and Lyn doing her best to dodge. After maybe half the day was gone, Lyn dared to attack. She soon learned that Flea knew more than just spells, as a quick retaliation left the Human on the floor, unable to avoid the next spell. But Flea was laughing, she was _playing_, and Lyn knew she had not done wrong. Flea, for some reason Lyn didn't know, was testing her, wanting her to dodge, and even to fight back. And so she did, and the day passed.

That night Lyn kept Flea company in bed again. The Mazoku started out in the same manner as the night before, but shortly after beginning to lick at Lyn, Flea turned around. It didn't take Lyn long to realize what she was expected to do. Lyn wasn't sure she liked the flavor, but then she realized Flea was gasping now and again, loosing her rhythm, and it was because of what Lyn was doing. She liked that, Lyn thought, she liked being able to make the Mazoku woman react to her.

Once again, Lyn forgot to ask about her necklace until she was in the kisch circle. It was far too late then, as Flea pressed the attack as soon she crossed the silvery-black barrier. Again Lyn was dodging, twisting and trying to attack, healing when she could.

Yet _another_ stream of fire passed Lyn by less than a hands breath. Strange words, half-familiar, danced and twisted in Lyn's thoughts, and she found herself chanting before she realized what she was doing. She pointed at Flea, and ice formed above her hand, sharpening to a point and then flying at the mage. Flea seemed taken aback, and barely dodged the spear of ice, while Lyn stayed in the pose, looking at her hand with confused and frightened eyes.

"Great Magician," Flea said, the exhalation sounding like a prayer. "Do that again, girl!"

Lyn was already chanting, frantically hoping that she had not done what she thought she had done, that it was a mistake, or a fluke. But the ice formed and flew, exactly as before, and the kisch circle was glowing huelin. Lyn dropped to her knees, staring at her hands. "No… how…?" she gasped.

"It worked!" Flea said, celebrating happily. "By Warrior, Magician, and Lizard, it _worked_!" She barely spared a glance at her slave as she left the circle and got down a book, writing in it.

Magic. Lyn had cast magic. There was no way she could avoid that truth, though she desperately wanted to. Humans didn't have magic_. 'Earthbound don't have magic, and that's all any Human is anymore.'_ The boy… Janus had said that. When explaining why he _did_ have magic. What had he said… he was Human, but not Earthbound? What was an 'Earthbound', Lyn wondered. Would she see Janus again? Maybe he could explain what had happened to her. Or maybe he'd be an arrogant bastard and refuse to say anything.

It didn't matter, Lyn decided. He'd already told her what she needed to know. Just because she had magic didn't mean she wasn't Human. She was just… a different kind of Human. One who could use magic. And who had pointed ears. And who wore Mazoku clothing… Lyn stopped her thoughts and focused on what she wanted to think. She was still Human.

Flea looked up curiously when she heard the girl chanting her Ice spell again. Her first concern was whether the slave was still in the circle or not, but when Flea noticed she was, the Mazoku just watched. Lyn was targeting items outside the kisch, and it seemed her aim was pretty good. "You're adjusting fast, girl," Flea noted, hoping to get the reasoning behind this acceptance.

"Janus can use magic. Janus is Human. He say," Lyn answered. Giving a slight shrug, she continued, "I can… can… use… magic. I… am Human." The admission that this was indeed magic she was using was hard to speak. Speaking made it real.

"Ah, yes… Maou Ozzie's boy was with Slash, wasn't he…? So, you saw him use his magic? And he told you he was Human? I see…" Flea commented, going back to her note taking. "You might as well keep casting, then," she added in an offhand manner.

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So, there you go. Like? Hate? Review!


	22. Chapter 21

Chrono Trigger is not mine. Rather fun scene later in this chapter, I like Janus.

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That night Lyn discovered what a dildo was, and just how one was used. That was the first time she realized that she and Flea really were having sex. So women could enjoy sex, and men weren't needed. She didn't know what to think about that.

Again Lyn was woken and hurried out of the room with barely time to dress. She briefly thought about the necklace, but realized she hadn't even seen it in the room. When they reached the circle, the expected round of magical attacks began, and Lyn had to admit it felt good to respond in kind. She was so focused in the fight, she forgot to pay attention to her energy level. Trying to cast the ice spell, it fizzled, a few small shards of frozen water forming and falling to the ground about Lyn's feet. Flea laughed and used Lyn's distraction, casting a spell that knocked the Human out of the ring.

"Stupid, girl. You're helpless now," Flea said, striding over. "You let yourself run out of magic. You didn't even think of pacing yourself, did you?"

Lyn looked up from the floor. Flea loomed over her, a twisted smile on the hard, delicate face. "I… no, Mistress."

"Up. Back in the circle. You ran out of magic, but it's hardly my fault," the first two sentences were short and clipped, but Flea was practically purring the last one, and Lyn knew she was really in trouble.

The next session was brutal. With no energy for a spell or even a tech, Lyn was reduced to dodging. She couldn't heal from the fire spells that did connect, and every time she directly attacked, Flea would calmly counter.

When the blue Imp walked in and Flea stopped her battering assault, Lyn numbly slumped to the floor. She stared in exhausted fascination as her Mistress spoke to the Imp. The Imp scurried off, and Flea stalked toward Lyn, looking furious.

"On your feet, girl!" Flea snapped. Lyn obeyed as fast as she was able to, staggering to her feet and swaying from the pain. She fully expected Flea to start casting again, but the Mazoku merely nodded and walked away, motioning for Lyn to follow.

As they walked through the castle again, Lyn thought she recognized some of the tapestries. She wasn't sure, and she hurt too much to really care, but if she had to guess, she would say they were going to Slash's rooms again. A few more moments proved her right, as once again Flea stopped by a door and knocked.

"What the…" Slash opened the door, looked around, and sighed. "Again?"

"Well, you know I can't take her with me, love," Flea purred.

Slash didn't bother arguing any further, opening the door and stepping out of the way. Lyn hobbled in, and Flea left. "Quite a change," Slash observed, looking at Lyn.

Lyn looked at the violet Mazoku with an odd sort of helplessness in her red eyes. "I know, sir," she said quietly.

"You can't heal yourself?" he asked, opening the dojo door.

"I… have no… magic left, sir," she answered reluctantly, not wanting to say the word.

Janus looked up as the pair came in. "Pretty as always I see, Lyn," he commented. The bruised girl answered with a gesture he assumed was meant to be rude.

"I need to talk to Tihl," Slash said. "Don't kill each other." With that last, off hand command, the swordsman floated out of the room, leaving Lyn and Janus looking at each other.

Lyn broke the silence, a desperate edge to her quiet question. "You do magic?"

Deciding it was a question and not a request for a demonstration, Janus nodded, "Yes. I've been able to cast magic since I was a child."

"But you Human?"

Janus sighed and bushed some hair behind his ear. "I've already told you that."

"My…" Lyn stopped and swallowed, then forced herself to continue. "My… spell… it does not make me not… Human?"

That caught Janus' interest, and he gave Lyn his full attention, looking at her intensely with teal eyes. "You have a spell?"

"I… Fl- Mistress Flea. Attacked me in the kisch circle. I dodged, and healed… Words came to me. When I say them… Ice forms. It flies… to what I aim at. And the kisch was glowing huelin." Lyn looked up, red eyes begging Janus for… something.

Janus pulled a green glass vial from a pocket, looking at Lyn measuringly. "If you tell anyone I have this, I will have to kill you."

She didn't doubt him, reading that same deadly seriousness that she had seen in Slash and Flea, and even Esaku and Ethrurrion. His statement wasn't meant as a threat, merely a promise. "I… won't. What… is that?"

"An ether," Janus answered, giving it to her. "It will restore a portion of your magic."

"A slave has this?" Lyn asked, looking at Janus curiously.

Thin lips quirked up in a smile, and Janus shook his head. "I… _borrowed_ it from the Maou. Now drink, I want to see your spell."

Lyn returned the smile, glad to be taken into Janus' confidence. Opening the bottle, she drank the contents, wincing slightly at the medicinal taste, catching hints of flavor that she remembered from the stew in the fort. She gasped in surprise as her energy was renewed, the feeling reminding her of the pleasure she felt with her Mistress in bed. "What… should I aim at?"

"Me," Janus replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Nodding slowly, Lyn started her chant, the unknown words flowing smoothly. She paused before the last word to look at Janus, who gave her a cocky smirk. With a brief smile of her own, Lyn finished the spell, sending the ice towards the blue-haired boy.

Janus didn't even try to dodge, letting the ice pierce him. He stumbled back slightly with the impact, and then Lyn sent her tech at him, the healing energies fixing both flesh and clothing. "Not bad," he admitted as the healing faded. "You weren't taught that spell? It came on it's own?" At Lyn's affirmative nod, Janus continued speaking, "That would explain why your syntax and grammar is better than any spellcaster I've heard here. If anything more comes, let it flow, don't fight it. Do you know the name of the spell?"

"You… understand the chant?" Lyn asked, using some of her remaining energy to heal herself.

"Spells use my native language. That's why the Mazoku react funny when I curse them out," Janus said with a vicious grin. "That spell, what you just cast, it's Ice. Well, obviously."

"What… do I say?" Lyn wondered.

Janus thought for just a moment, then translated, "'Azure shards freezing, ice.' Although you don't really have to say that, or say anything. It's just a memory device. Like your tech, I would imagine, it's the mental patterns that are important, not the words."

"So… I could… cast in Zenese?" Lyn said.

"Yes, you could," Janus agreed, though he had to guess at the last word. "But enough about that. You wondered… if you were Human? You are, if you want to be. Personally, I would give more thought to leaving that behind."

Lyn recoiled from Janus at the mere suggestion. "Leave… But… my mother! My race!"

Janus shrugged one shoulder fluidly. "Your call."

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And we see Janus beginning to guide Lyn down the path he wants... or at least he's trying to! Will he succeed? Review!


	23. Chapter 22

A little bit of Slash's view this time. Don't worry too much about the place names... And Slash just doesn't get enough love...

I don't own Chrono Trigger, it belongs to Squeenix.

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Slash floated down the halls, mentally preparing for the upcoming _discussion_ with Tihl. The orange-haired general kept demanding more and more troops, stretching Slash and Flea's resources while, coincidentally, keeping his own men in strong defensive positions. Slash was tired of this, and wasn't going to let Tihl keep this up, hence, a private meeting.

Opening the door to the meeting room, Slash was unsurprised to find Tihl already waiting, looking very smug. "So glad you could make it," the other general said.

No subtlety, that was Tihl's problem. "So glad to see you are eager for this discussion," Slash countered, acting as though Tihl was early, and not that Flea had made him late. "So what is this about needing a company to take Chorun?"

"Yes, it is exactly that. My men are holding here," Tihl pointed to a spot on the map with a green finger. "Flea's information indicates that a quick strike _here_," he moved his finger slightly to the south, "and Chorun will simply fall into our hands."

Slash didn't even have to look at the map to know Tihl was wrong. "No, a strike there will only weaken the Human army. It won't cause Chorun to fall. And…" brushing aside Tihl's finger, Slash grabbed some pebbles and quickly lay them out. "If we strike there… and assuming it's successful…" The pebbles, indicating the Human troops, clearly surrounded the disputed target on three sides. "Warrior, Tihl, that's a deathtrap! A company could take that place, but we'd need half our army to hold it!"

A flash of irritation showed in Tihl's amber eyes. "You are forgetting our magic, Slash! With a handful of Sorcerers to augment that company, we could hold it long enough to take Chorek and maybe Choras."

This neatly explained why Tihl wanted Slash's troops for the attack. Tihl's own troops didn't include any magic users, reflecting Tihl's utter inability to cast spells. Unfortunately, Tihl hadn't yet done anything that would justify Slash following through on his desire to throttle the man. Casting a quick prayer to Warrior for patience, Slash practically growled out, "No, they _couldn't_, Tihl! Mages have a very defined, and _limited_ role in battle. If we put them in Chorun, the Humans will simply move here and cut our supply line, and you _know_ mages can't survive a long fight with no supplies! Their magic would run out, sleep would be insufficient, and they would _die._ Sacrifice your own troops if you want, Tihl, but I will not condemn my men to needless slaughter."

"Now you are doubting me, Slash? I would be guarding the supply line," Tihl protested angrily. "And I don't see you coming up with any grand strategies to take Choras!"

"You want a strategy? You really want a strategy, Tihl? Then cut each of your garrisons in half and send the extra troops to Chorot. If you reinforced my army there, we'd be able to take it, garrison it, and _then_ we'd be well posed to take Chorun."

"I can't do that, that would leave my garrisons with little more than skeleton crews!"

"As opposed to mine, garrisoned _literally_ by skeletons? By _Lizard_, Tihl, your garrisons are practically companies in and of themselves! If you don't want to halve them, then take only a third." Slash knew that Tihl would never take his advice. The green general was far too concerned with hoarding his own resources.

"So you're not willing to help me?" Tihl spat out, completely ignoring Slash's suggestions.

Slash's hand twitched towards his sword, but he wasn't confident of his ability to beat the orange-haired general. Very slowly, with forced calm, Slash answered, "No. I am not willing to condemn my men, or my mages, to a protracted suicide mission to feed _your_ ego. Do what you will, but do _not_ count on me to rescue your green ass." With that, the violet general left, walking from his need to actively do something.

He returned to his chambers, fuming the whole way. Glancing at the door to his dojo, Slash debated taking his temper out on Janus, but thought the better of it. Instead he went to his room, eliciting a startled squeak from his slave. Ignoring her, he opened a chest, pulled out four ethers, and then left the room. Now he went to the dojo, slamming the door open and startling Janus and Lyn.

"What can you summon, boy?" Slash snapped, handing two of the ethers to him.

Janus barely blinked at the odd question, smoothly taking the ethers. "Golems, sir. I saw Dalton do it often enough, and mine are even better than his."

"Can they be healed magically?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." Slash turned to Lyn and handed her the other two ethers. It seemed she had already regained some magic, enough to heal herself, at least. It hadn't cost Slash anything, and so he didn't bother asking about it. "You will heal the golem. The boy can likely tell you when it will need it. Both of you are free to support the golem however you want, but do not directly interfere, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Lyn answered. She recognized Slash was angry, and it was easy to know that she didn't want his anger directed at her.

Janus didn't waste his breath confirming his understanding. He began chanting, his words having a fullness and melody that the Mazoku spell casters lacked. The spell was long, and even Lyn could tell that it was very complicated. At the end, a brown, conical form made of stone arose from the floor. With another chant, this time brief, a green aura surrounded the golem. "Protection spell," Janus said, responding to Lyn's questioning look.

As the golem lumbered towards Slash, the swordsman didn't move. A large stone fist flew towards the Mazoku. At the last moment, there was a blur of violet and white as Slash leapt away from the rock. "Too _slow_!" he snapped as he landed.

Janus gave a smirk and chanted again. The golem moved faster, and with a flash of silver the Slasher left its sheath. When steel met stone, the only shriek was the sound the cloven rock made; the golem was silent as it battled.

With another jump back, Slash retreated from the golem, a small but rather terrifying grin on his face. His sword dropped, tip briefly touching the floor, and then with a yell Slash lifted the Slasher, using a tech to part the air in a silvery shock wave. The disrupted air sped towards the golem, and Janus barely had time to curse before shards of rock flew from the creature.

"Heal it!" Janus shouted to Lyn. Then considering her tech's effectiveness, he added, "Twice if you can, and take an ether!"

Lyn nodded and obeyed, having to dart closer to the battle then she liked. The two back to back techs didn't really drain her that much, but she understood the wisdom of preparing while she had time, and quickly downed her second ether of the day.

The fighting was a dance of steel and stone. Slash had won his position in the Mazoku nation by his cunning, yes, but also by his skill. Here, before two slaves he considered his students, the Mazoku warrior put his skill on display, his anger at Tihl now dismembering the golem that Janus had created.

Janus and Lyn fought valiantly to keep the golem well and functioning, but as the sun dropped in the sky, so did their magic. Lyn fell to the floor, kneeling and panting, once more completely spent, both ethers long gone. Janus, showing an unusual amount of generosity, began to hand her one of his, but a command from Slash stopped him.

"Don't worry about it, boy." With a final swirl, Slash destroyed the golem, not even watching as the stones faded away. In a calm, even tone, the swordsman said, "You should go sleep, both of you. Boy, you know where to take her."

The two slaves left, Janus pulling Lyn by the arm, and Slash returned to his room. Putting the Slasher away, the violet Mazoku looked at the slave he had chosen to warm his bed. "You are from Algetty, aren't you?" he asked in Zenese. She had worn the neutral, undyed colors of an untrusted but not rebellous slave when he claimed her, and she still didn't know Medinian.

"I was, _sir_," the blonde slave answered, not bothering to hide her distaste. Maris was not happy with her position in life.

"You knew a girl called Lyn?" Slash answered, ignoring her anger. He liked his partners to have a spine, and he found her ineffectual dislike amusing.

"Lyn?" Maris asked. "Lady damn her, she betrayed Herbert on the ship, and didn't even react when Tobias was killed!"

"I am sure she was dealing with her own issues," Slash answered, surprised by his slave's vehemence. "It might please you to know that she now belongs to Flea. Adequate retribution, I am sure, for any crimes she committed against you." He didn't try to stop the twist he gave to that last sentence; Flea was cruel to her slaves, but in reality, Lyn ranked far higher than a bed-slave like Maris could dream of reaching.

Maris smiled, forgetting her dislike of Mazoku in general. "It does, sir."

Sitting on the bed, Slash motioned for the slave to join him. She knew what was coming, but she was slowly learning that the more she fought, the harsher Slash was, and so she didn't make a fuss.

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Heh... Like? Hate? Please review!


	24. Chapter 23

I still don't own Chrono Trigger. Little bit of a history and culture lesson this chapter.

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Lyn woke alone in her bed, and for a moment she knew absolute panic. If she was alone in bed, that meant Flea had already woken, and left, and that couldn't bode well. The quiet and fluent murmur of the language used for spells only added to her fear, and she bolted up, opening her eyes and looking around. The murmur stopped, and Lyn realized that it had just been Janus, who was now looking at her oddly.

"You're skittish this morning," he observed, going back to pacing.

"I… thought I slept too much," Lyn answered in a shaky voice, trying to calm down. "Mistress Flea wasn't in bed, so…" she trailed off, realizing she wasn't making much sense.

Janus just shrugged, sitting on the edge of a cot. "So you're her bed slave in addition to everything else?"

"I… well, that is…" Lyn hadn't thought of it that way, even when she'd realized that what she and Flea did was, in fact, sex. "I… guess."

"Can't be too bad, you're not seeming bothered by it," Janus observed.

The conversation was interrupted by Slash, opening the door and entering the room. Glancing at Janus, he said, "Right. Authority and rank. Boy, you know where the new building is going on, over by Medina?" At Janus' nod, Slash tossed him a small packet. "Go and make sure it's progressing well. Take the girl with you so she can start to learn the rank she has." Finished giving his orders, the violet Mazoku left.

Lyn looked at Janus in confusion. "I have rank?"

Janus was busy glancing over the papers as he answered, "Of course you do. You belong to Lady Flea, and the only person she answers to is Maou Ozzie. C'mon, we don't have time to be lazy. Get your ass out of bed and let's be going."

Standing, Lyn glanced at her clothing. "I- I can't go anywhere like this! I'm not decent!"

"You are wearing one of Lady Flea's old dresses," Janus said flatly. "Trust me, no one will think less of you for that." Realizing Lyn was still less than inclined to follow him, he once more grabbed her arm, trying to ignore how soft her skin was under his callused fingers.

The sun had barely cleared the trees by the time the pair reached the construction. Underfed Humans worked under the direction of a couple Imps, wrestling logs into position for a wall, building what would probably be a pen for more slaves. A dozen Hench, both yellow and red, were watching them, and one came up to Janus, asking what they were doing there.

Showing the papers, Janus answered, "Sir Slash told us to watch your progress for the day, and to make sure things are going well."

With a snort, the red Hench handed the papers back and pointed towards an awning. "Ya kin stay there, outta our way," he said.

Janus turned and walked to the awning, leaning against one of the poles. In a quiet voice, he explained to Lyn, "We actually out rank everyone here. It goes smoother when you don't make an issue of it, though."

Lyn barely heard him, looking at the brown clad slaves. "Green is trusted… Undyed is neutral… brown is… What is brown?" She turned her head to look at Janus, asking him, "Janus… what does the brown mean?"

"Insubordinate," Janus answered swiftly. "They earned their colors in much the manner you did, only instead of accepting their place and working with it, they fight it."

"What… happens to them?" Lyn asked softly, not even sure she wanted to know.

"If they never move up, they are worked to death," Janus said, with no pity in his voice.

"Oh." Lyn watched silently as one of the slaves dropped his end of the log and was whipped for it. She tried to reconcile this scene with her own experiences, and found to her surprised that it wasn't that difficult. Herbert, she realized, and probably Tobias as well, if they hadn't been killed, would most likely be here. It was clearly unsafe to put them anywhere they could do actual damage, but letting them free wasn't an option either. And she'd heard stories form Porre, about the lands to the east… about Choras, where the nobles ruled, and the peasants didn't own the land they tilled, or even the food they grew. Was this so different? Except, the peasants hadn't been taken from their homes. But they didn't have the choice to make things better for themselves, either.

Janus followed Lyn's rather blank gaze, and noticed that at least three other slaves were taking exception to Hench whipping one of their own. "Ah, Lardon damn it," he muttered, mimicking the Mazoku curses he'd heard. "Lyn, get your head out of the clouds and pay attention, we might need a healer…."

The Imps, who had been fine-tuning the placement of the logs, were trying to get away as more Hench responded to the violence. More Humans were dropping the heavy timbers and picking up whatever was small, came readily to hand, and might be used as a weapon.

"Are they rebelling?" Lyn asked, coming out of her thoughts. One of the Imps, the blue one, suddenly went flying when a brown clad slave hit him with a shovel, and Lyn answered her own question. "They're rebelling."

"Stay close," Janus warned, going to aid the Hench. Sure, they could take care of this on their own, but that would be messy and cost a lot of lives on both sides.

As soon as he was close enough, Janus began casting, carefully aiming his lightening spells. He focused on the first row of slaves, the ones close to the Hench, trying to take them out before they hurt the Mazoku. He heard Lyn chanting behind him, her ice spell, much to his surprise. "Not bad," he admitted as a bolt of ice flew past him and impaled a Human who was preparing to use his shovel on a Hench.

Lyn stared in the direction her spell had soared, half trying to see the man, expecting him to get back up perhaps. The violent mob hid him from her sight, however, and she had to give up. She prepared to cast again, but Janus stopped her.

"Save your magic for healing," he snapped between spells.

After a few more moments, the Hench and Janus' spells ended the rebellion. "Go heal the Hench, but don't let them use you on little things," Janus directed Lyn, staying where he was. He wanted to see how, or even if, she used the authority she had.

Lyn went to the Hench and looked around a little. Seeing one who was injured worse than his fellows, Lyn started towards him, not entirely surprised when the same red Hench from earlier stopped her. "What you doin'?" he asked.

Lady, and even the Mazoku's Magician, how she hated Hench's accents. Medinian was still hard for her to understand, and the way Hench mangled the words made it even harder. "I am going to heal him," she answer, barely remembering to drop the 'sir' that wanted to come out.

"Yer notta healer! You was using ice back there, I saw ya!" the Hench declared, seeming happy about this for some reason.

The whole situation reminded Lyn of her time in the Choras infirmary, and the absolute authority the healer-mages had there. Unknowingly mimicking her Mistress with her glare, Lyn narrowed her eyes at the Hench. "Move," she repeated in a deliberate manner. When the Hench didn't move fast enough, she pushed around him, hiding her surprise when that actually worked. Barely five paces from the Hench who was her target, Lyn paused briefly and called on her tech, healing the injuries almost completely.

Murmurs ran through the Hench, and Janus smiled. Seemed Lyn was doing just fine. Now would she have the presence of mind to stop after the major injuries were healed, he wondered.

It was surprising how few of the Hench were hurt, in a way. Then again, the Humans had only had makeshift weapons, and Janus had been keeping them away from the Mazoku. Lyn had already healed everyone who would have seen a healer-mage normally, and the worst of those who would otherwise be given tonics. She was feeling pretty good; she could probably heal everyone here fully. But she found that she didn't really want to, and she knew she didn't have to. Hell, she hadn't even had to heal any of them, except for the fact that Janus had ordered her to.

Leaving the Hench, she went back to Janus, who was once again leaning against one of the awning's posts. "You out rank me, don't you?" she asked when she was close.

"Yep."

"What if I had beaten you when we first met in Sir Slash's rooms?" Lyn asked. "I mean, obviously you'd still out rank me, but—"

"No I wouldn't," Janus interrupted. "I'd still belong to Maou Ozzie, but you would have shown yourself stronger than I."

Lyn didn't answer, once again confused by an aspect of Mazoku culture. "Janus? How… That is… do you know how this war started?"

"Don't you know?" Janus shot back, startled.

"Not really. Humans and Mazoku have fought… before the founding of Guardia, even. I was never told why."

"So far as I've heard, Humans started it. Kept the Mazoku as slaves, until one, named Lizard, decided he'd had enough. He got Warrior and Magician to help him, and the three of them became known as the Liberators. Lizard lead the Mazoku here, tried to live peacefully, but Humans weren't very willing to loose all their slaves, so they kept attacking. The one who'd owned Lizard was named Lardon, I think, he's worked his way into enough curses. I never did work out how we got from that to where we are now, but I'm working on it," Janus answered, telling the story Ozzie had told him.

Yet again, Lyn had no answer. She had never heard that story, or any version of it. Humans vilified the Mazoku for keeping slaves; she didn't know how to take the idea that Humans had once kept Mazoku slaves.

At lunchtime, an Imp brought the Human pair food. Janus accepted this as though it were his due, and Lyn did her best to imitate him, trying not to stand out. As they were eating, Lyn asked, "So… Are Mistress Flea and Sir Slash the same rank?"

Swallowing some wine, Janus shrugged a little. "Between the Generals, it gets messy. Officially, all three are the same rank. I think they try not to challenge each other. I get the feeling they're pretty similar in fighting ability, and none of them are willing to find out just who would rank whom from a fight. Then again, at least half the combat is decided by conversations, and I'm generally not around when they're really competing like that."

"Three…?" Lyn asked. That was right, Shanda had mentioned there were three… Lyn had forgotten that, since she had only seen Flea and Slash.

"You haven't met Sir Tihl? Just as well, he has no respect for magic users. He's got light green skin, with orange and white hair and amber eyes, so you know who he is if you ever see him," Janus said with mild disdain.

"Right. Thanks, Janus," Lyn said, giving a smile.

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The history I'm using is based off of Weiila's stories. Yes, I do have permission to use it. Now go read her stories, and review before y'go!


	25. Chapter 24

Chrono Trigger is still not mine. I sound like a broken record here. So, a bit happens, kinda... Onward!

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Fall was on the land, and the harvest was coming in. Not that Lyn got to see any of this. She hadn't left the castle since going with Janus to that construction. She had spent most of her time 'fighting' with Flea, and had been mildly horrified when she had learned more spells, first a cure spell, and then a version of Flea's flame kiss. If it wasn't for the time she spent under the care of Slash and therefore with Janus, Lyn probably would have had a screaming fit months ago. But even Janus was changing, acting more and more like a Mazoku, and Slash had mentioned the word Human-born more than once. It seemed that nobody quite knew what to classify Janus as, and Lyn had been afraid that she might be classified as 'other' along with him. But for the most part, time passed, her fighting and spell casting improved, and life wasn't too bad.

Flea walked in and gave Lyn a long, appraising look. "What is your race, girl?" she asked.

"I… am Human, Mistress," Lyn answered, wondering what had sparked that question.

Flea didn't explain the query, however, sighing, "Lardon damn it. I thought that's what she'd say… Merciful Lizard, I don't have a _choice_, then. Damnit, Slash, why'd you have to be at Chorot now?"

"M-mistress?" Lyn said quietly, taking a few hesitant steps towards the Mazoku woman.

"Well, I suppose I could always leave you _here_," the pink-haired woman said, looking at Lyn, but clearly not responding to her. "But no, I don't dare… Magician take it, if he kills you I am going to _murder_ him."

"Please Mistress, what do you mean?" Lyn asked, louder.

Flea sighed, then answered Lyn. "Maou Ozzie wants me at Porre. And of course he wants me there tonight, so I have to leave now, and I don't dare leave you here unsupervised, and I can't wait for Slash to get back, and so I have to leave you with Tihl."

"I thought he didn't like mages," Lyn said stupidly, not even realizing that she was including herself with the mages.

With a smile that usually heralded pain, Flea patted Lyn's cheek. "He doesn't, but not like you think. Still, I think you'll go as nothing more than my bed slave. A slightly dense slave, so I don't dare leave her alone in my rooms."

Lyn was confused, but this wasn't the time to show it. "I see, Mistress."

"Good, now come on. I don't have time to dawdle."

The path through the castle was different this time. Lyn could tell by the tapestries. Janus had mentioned, a few weeks ago, that the tapestries were used for directions at least as much as they were used for decoration. This time when they came to the depiction of what he'd termed the "Great Escape," Flea took a left. When she finally stopped, it was before a carved door, which struck Lyn as very pretentious.

At Flea's knock, a Human man opened the door, giving a quiet squeak when he saw Flea. "W-what can I do for you, Lady?" the man asked.

"Where in Magician's name is Tihl?" the Mazoku answered, pushing the door open more. "I need to speak to him."

"What do you need, Flea?" another man's voice came from further inside the rooms. A moment later Tihl stepped out, eyeing Flea with a face that indicated something didn't smell very nice.

Flea offered a smile which practically screamed fake, and explained in a light manner, "I have an assignment, and I just can't leave my girl alone in my rooms while I'm gone."

Glancing over at Lyn, Tihl nodded a little. "Bed slave?" he asked with clear disinterest in his voice.

"I know you don't have much use for her, but she can fetch and carry, and she's not too bad at cleaning," Flea responded, trying to put an end to Tihl's protestations before they were even made.

"I see," the green-skinned Mazoku answered. "Well… I suppose I can watch her, as a favor to you, Flea."

"Oh, you needn't word it like that. Of course I'll repay you, I wouldn't want you to feel as though I'm taking advantage of you," Flea simpered back in a surprisingly convincing display. Turning to Lyn, she motioned towards Tihl. "Now you obey him, girl, but remember what I told you. Go on then, behave yourself, and I'll be back before long."

With a quick, convulsive nod, Lyn said, "Yes, Mistress." Scuttling into Tihl's rooms, Lyn saw that both Tihl and the unnamed slave were looking at her. After a few moments, Tihl shrugged.

"Don't come into the bedroom, and don't touch anything," the green-skinned General ordered. Not waiting to see how Lyn responded, he vanished into his room, slave following.

For the last three days, Tihl had been so busy with his slave that he almost seemed to have forgotten Lyn. Today, for example, he had gone to his room early, taking the boy with him, and not even looking at Lyn. Food from the kitchens was sent up, but taken straight too Tihl, and Lyn was given none. She had been doing well to get anything the last couple days, and she knew that if this kept up she would be almost useless to Flea. While the thought of instigating some form of fight between the generals had its appeal, Lyn remembered what Janus had said about their fighting abilities and decided she would be safer if she simply went to get her own food.

Slipping out of Tihl's quarters late in the evening, Lyn looked around, trying to figure out where she was, and what was nearby. Janus had told her once how to reach the kitchens, but she'd have to find her own way back to that tapestry of the Great Escape, which seemed to be one of the primary landmarks of the castle. She wasn't surprised, really, since from everything she could tell it had been a pretty critical turning point in Mazoku history.

Finally reaching the door to the kitchens, Lyn slipped in and closed it carefully behind her. Glancing around, she saw that they were empty, much to her relief.

The banked fire gave enough light for Lyn to see by, though it seemed odd. She didn't remember a banked fire giving so much light, though to be fair this fire was much larger than any she'd seen before. Deciding not to worry about it, Lyn looked around for food. She soon located bread, a small amount of cheese, and the remains of a baked fish. Passing up the fish because she wasn't sure how long it had been out, Lyn gathered some bread and the cheese, putting a largish portion into the pocket she'd sewn into her dress.

The sound of quiet, shuffling footsteps, slightly hesitant in the dark, caused Lyn to silently turn. Searching the dim kitchens, Lyn quickly found the walker, and surprise loosened her tongue. "M-mother? Why are you here?" Lyn asked, using Medinian from habit.

Shanda looked up at the voice and gave a muffled yelp when she saw red eyes looking at her. "Who are…" Shanda stopped, the first word Lyn had said finally penetrated. It alone had been said in Zenese. "Lyn?" the older woman asked, studying the girl. "You've changed… is it you?"

The words didn't make sense to Lyn, their rounded form unlike the lilting Medinian. And then she realized Shanda was speaking Zenese, and Lyn hadn't recognized it. This time in careful Zenese, Lyn repeated herself, "Mother, why are you here? It's night, shouldn't you sleep?" The Human language was unfamiliar in Lyn's mouth, and the girl couldn't remember the last time she had used it, even to think in.

For her part, Shanda was more concerned with Lyn's strange new appearance. "Lyn, what's _happened_ to you? You… look so different. You look like…"

Lyn closed her eyes, taking a quick bite of the bread. With a swallow, she nodded, opening her eyes. "I know. Mistress Flea changed me. She said I look better this way."

"Oh, Lyn, be _careful_!" Shanda said, taking a step closer, and then shrinking back a little. "Be careful. I've heard rumors… They do things. I'm just glad you're with a woman, so at least you don't have to worry about _that_. Maris… that purple man, the general, he came and took her… We all know what he wanted her for… but at least… _you're_ safe."

Lyn looked at her mother in confusion before realizing that she was talking about sex. And… Slash, apparently. "Sir Slash is violet, not purple," Lyn corrected before the rest of Shanda's statement was processed. "He took Maris? Oh, thank the Lady and Lizard, she's with someone kind! I don't think she'd have survived if Mistress Flea had taken her."

"Kind?" Shanda said in horror. "Lyn… he's… he's _laying_ with her. Can you imagine how horrible that must be, to lay with one of… of them?"

"He is kind, he will not beat her for no reason, and he's the expected gender. It could be worse," Lyn answered, not hearing the coldness in her own voice.

Shaking her head, Shanda backed away more. "How… how can you say that, Lyn? You- you're practically one of them! Lyn, what are you _doing_? You're turning your back on your _race_!"

Shanda's words hit their mark, and now Lyn was shaking her head, green hair glinting darkly in the firelight. She had learnt to cover fear with aggression however, long days spent with Janus showing their effect. "I am surviving, _mother_," she snapped. "It's a different world up there, one you can't begin to understand. Don't go making judgement on _me_, not while you stay here safe in the kitchens! You don't have to make my choices, and don't pretend that makes you better than me," Lyn hissed, unconsciously mimicking the imperious tone Flea used when she was annoyed.

"Lyn, you're not _Human_ any more!" Shanda cried desperately.

This time Lyn's voice was ice, deadly cold masking hurt and fury. "You don't know anything. Shut up and leave."

Shanda crept forward, tears in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Lyn. I didn't mean that…" Hesitantly she reached for the strangely blue flesh her daughter now wore.

At the feel of a human hand on her skin, Lyn pulled away, slapping Shanda before she thought about what she was doing. For a moment, horror was in her carmine eyes, but Shanda didn't see it. When brown eyes finally meet the ruby gaze, all she saw was a strange calmness. "Yes you did," Lyn said, sounding dead. "But that doesn't mean it's true."

With another shake of her head, Lyn turned away, leaving the kitchens. Behind her, she heard her mother drop to the stone floor with quiet sobs, but Lyn's own eyes were dry. She had only cried from physical pain since that night in Algetty, and sorrow alone was no longer reason to shed tears.

Returning to Tihl's rooms, she was glad to note that it seemed she had not been missed. Sounds of pleasure came from the Mazoku's bedroom, and Lyn made a face. She didn't need to hear that, or to imagine what was happening in there. Sighing, she ate a little more from what she'd brought, and then began practicing a spell. Some of the words had come to her in her last fight with Flea, and she was rather sure that it was a protection spell, but she hadn't quite got enough of the words to successfully cast it before Flea knocked her out. Lyn was hoping to master the spell while Flea was gone so she would have something to surprise her Mistress with.

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Oohhh... harsh, Shanda. I rather feel sorry for her...


	26. Chapter 25

And life goes on. Chrono Trigger isn't mine, still. We begin moving into the final section of the fic now, though there are still quite a few chapters left. Hope you enjoy!

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Flea was back in a couple more days, which was just as well for Lyn, as she had eaten everything she'd gathered, and didn't really want to risk another conversation with her mother. Lyn used the new spell in the next sparing session, which caused a green aura to surround her and leeched about a third of the power from Flea's spells. It proved very nice, especially when Flea started attacking with stronger spells.

With the land firmly under the grip of winter, nobody was really doing much of anything. Flea stayed in the castle for the full season, and Lyn found no time to worry about her mother's accusations. Spells were easier now, and Lyn had learned spells to protect from physical attacks as well as magical. The group cure spell the healer-mages used was now hers as well.

When spring broke winter's chokehold, Flea took Lyn on a new path through the castle. Lyn followed silently, fingering the short cloak her Mistress had tossed at her that morning. It seemed they were going somewhere; that Lyn was finally being allowed to join Flea on one of Flea's political missions. She couldn't really say she was surprised when they reached the large double doors, or when she noticed Janus beside them, waiting.

Something about Janus was different, and Lyn looked again. He had indeed changed, in much the same manner she had. Red eyes replaced the soft aqua, and pale pointed ears poked out from behind the cerulean curtain of hair. "Good look on you," she murmured, gaining a sneer from the boy.

It was cold outside, though the dark-barked trees had never lost their pointed leaves. Lyn shivered slightly, glad of her half-cloak, though she noticed with a little envy that Janus wore a full-length cloak. They went to a town on the eastern side of the continent, where a ship was already waiting.

Lyn and Janus were left to their own devices on the ship. They spent most of their time staying out of everyone's way and trying to figure out where they were going. They landed at a rocky shoreline, a few of the amorphous Shadows and gray-green Groupies with them, then carefully followed a switchback path up the cliffs. There was a forest at the top, with trees just beginning their new growth with the spring, and a few rather run-down looking houses dotted about.

"She's here! The envoy is here!" a croaking voice called, and suddenly the place was swarmed with large frogs. Lyn repressed a shudder.

The excited cries brought forth an even larger frog. "Wow," Janus said to Lyn in a low voice. "He's even larger than Maou Ozzie… I didn't think that was physically possible."

"Shut up, boy," Flea hissed. "This isn't the time for your comments."

With a surprised look on his face, Janus nodded at the Mazoku woman, keeping his mouth closed. Flea wasn't as easy going as Slash, but she didn't usually care if he muttered to himself. For her to shut him up meant something was certainly up.

"General Flea, a pleasure," the large frog said, inclining his head and nearly dropping the overly large crown he wore.

"Frog's King," Flea responded, likewise inclining her head. "You requested a meeting?"

"Yes, yes. To discuss an alliance," the King said, now nodding so hard that Lyn didn't know how the crown stayed on.

"An alliance?" Flea echoed the word skeptically. "You, Frog's King, finally look beyond your borders to see what is happening to the rest of the races?" If she hadn't been looking, if she hadn't been _Flea_, she might have missed the way the amphibian's eyes darted to the side, looking beyond her, into the swamp.

"Don't speak like that, General Flea," the frog protested. "I have to care for my own people first, you know that."

Flea didn't get a chance to respond. There was a quiet _zip_ of an arrow, and one of the Shadows rose from the ground, letting itself get hit in Flea's place. Chaos erupted, Humans in Porre's green and blue entering the clearing from two sides. Janus yanked Lyn backwards and looked around. Flea was retreating back towards the coast, and as she did so a squad of men moved between Flea and the slaves. Unsurprisingly, the Frog King had vanished.

"Shit, get Protect up, girl!" Janus snapped at Lyn, using the spell's proper name, as was his wont. He wasn't surprised that she was blanking in the face of an attack, but it wasn't something he could afford to have her do.

The direct order penetrated Lyn's confusion, and she began her chant while Janus drug her over to one of the shacks. A soft yellow glow surrounded them, which would cut any physical attacks they were unlucky enough to take.

"Use fire, men! Burn them out!" the Human captain yelled, waving his men forward.

Flea looked back, searching for her girl and the Maou's boy. She thought she had seen them hiding by the frog's pathetic shacks, but looking now there was only fire. She sighed slightly, knowing the slaves were beyond her reach. She had brought a diplomatic force, not a strike force, after all. Well, if it was Magician's will, the slaves would find some way back, but ultimately they weren't important.

Janus didn't wait for the fire to reach the hut he was hiding behind. He heard the human's order, and looked towards the swampy forest, measuring distance. "Get ready to run," he hissed to Lyn. She nodded wordlessly.

Smoke began to cloud the air, exactly the thing Janus was waiting for. He gave no warning when he began to run, trusting Lyn to know enough to follow. Vaguely he realized that they were running inland, away from the ocean and the ship, but there was nothing he could do about that. The first priority was staying alive.

He heard someone crashing through the forest and bit back another curse. Lyn wasn't that loud, she was running beside him and was quieter than he was. Someone armored was following them, and that meant someone from Porre's army.

"Keep running, I won't be long," Janus ordered, voice clipped from lack of air. Lyn gave a nod, and Janus stepped behind a tree, letting her past him. A few moments later, two soldiers ran past. He didn't give them time to realize that one of their prey was behind them.

Lyn stopped running when the heard Janus' Dark Bomb exploding. She didn't want to get too far ahead of him and risk the chance that he might not find her. She hadn't been waiting for long when Janus came into view, still running.

"Come on, there might be more," he said as he passed her. Lyn had no choice but to give chase.

Janus finally stopped when neither of them could run any more. Holding up a hand for silence, he tried to listen to the forest while catching his breath. Finally deciding they were safe, at least for the time being, the blue-haired youth launched into a fluid stream of Zealian curses. "I hope you know where we are, girl," he added, looking at Lyn.

Lyn looked around a little, finally making a guess. "I think… we're a little south and west of Dorino…."

Rolling his eyes, Janus snapped, "Do you know how to get back to Mazoku lands?"

"Oh. Due east, though we might want to go a little further north to avoid the desert."

"Great," Janus said calmly. "Now if you'll stop being an idiot and start walking, we can be going."

Lyn looked at Janus in confusion before realizing that he was lost. Glancing around once more, she picked a direction and started walking. Before long, the sun began setting, stretching her shadow before her. "Do you have anything to eat?" she asked Janus curiously.

"Of course I do. Haven't you learned by now to keep some food? Really, you're clueless."

"It's a little hard to hide anything when you're sharing Mistress Flea's bed," Lyn shot back, used to Janus' insulting nature.

"That is rather what pockets are for, silly."

"Oh, yes, pockets, now why didn't I think of that?" Lyn mocked, trying to keep back a smile.

Janus smirked. "Maybe because you have the brain power of a retarded Hench?"

"A Hench, that smart? Last time you called me a Gnasher."

"_Retarded_ Hench, Lyn, it's hardly a step up, really, it's not that difficult," Janus drawled.

"Oho, retarded Hench, I see… Well it might interest you to know, _Sir Janus_, that I do indeed have pockets. And food, even," Lyn said triumphantly.

Janus gave a chuckle at the mocking title Lyn used. "Okay, I guess that means you're as smart as an average Hench."

"So we have a little food at least…" Lyn stopped suddenly, realizing the forest had ended. "Do we try crossing the desert tonight, in the morning, or wait until tomorrow night?" she asked seriously, dropping her joking tone.

Looking at the wide expanse of sand, Janus let out a low whistle. "Not during the day, the sun would be too harsh," he murmured, half talking to himself.

"I really do have the brainpower of a Hench," Lyn said, hanging her head. "I should have remembered the sun on my own…."

"I think… we need to wait. I'm low on magic, you probably are too, and we're both tired," Janus said slowly. "If we stay awake tonight, we can sleep during the day, and then try crossing that at night."

Shading her eyes, Lyn peered to the north for a little while, then nodded. "Or I could take a nap now, and go to Dorino when I wake up. I could get us some supplies there, I think."

"Lyn…" Janus warned softly, something like concern in his eyes, "Dorino is our enemy. And we have no money. You can't just _buy_ supplies there, you know."

At first it seemed like the girl hadn't heard him, but then Lyn nodded slowly. "I know, Janus. I'll have to get them another way. But Dorino is big. I'm good at hiding. I won't be noticed."

Janus was silent, measuring Lyn's words. She did have a point; water and more food would be a blessing. If one of them went to the Human town, it would have to be her, since she was the only one who spoke the Human language and knew how to blend. But he doubted that Dorino was large enough to hide a young woman who looked like a Mazoku, and he knew she wasn't even thinking about her appearance. Finally he sighed, "Fine. I guess it's a risk you'll have to take. Sleep, then."

Lyn lay on the ground, curling up under her short cloak. Now that she was still, the spring chill assaulted her again, and she began shivering. When the sun went down, the cold attacked her in earnest, until finally Janus gave a sigh and draped his cloak over her as well. It was still warm from his body, and it smelt like him. She didn't stop shivering, but sleep finally claimed Lyn.

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Aaah, how cute... So, what will happen when Lyn goes to Dorino? Any guesses? Review and tell me!


	27. Chapter 26

Chrono Trigger is not mine. And here, more stuff happens. ...Lyn is kinda stupid...

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Lyn woke on her own to some unknown signal, stretching the kinks out of her back and looking around. The moon was coming up, large and nearly full. The light was probably what had woken her. Janus sat at the foot of a tree, back against the trunk, head back, sleeping. With a tender smile, Lyn covered him with his cloak, muttering a near silent "Thank-you," and a quieter "Good-bye." Taking a baring off the mountains and the star-lit sky, Lyn started walking towards Dorino.

When he could barely hear her steps, Janus opened an eye. She had said good-bye. He wasn't really surprised, more like disgusted. What kind of idiot would go to the Humans in her situation? She practically _was_ Mazoku, and she would be soon if he had any sort of say in the matter. She could be a leader of the Mazoku, standing by his side, and she was leaving to be worse than a nobody in Human society? And she was even willing to leave him. That thought hurt more than Janus was willing to admit, especially to himself. Standing with a sigh, Janus put his cloak on properly and started following Lyn.

There were tears in Lyn's eyes as she walked away from Janus. "I don't want to leave you," she whispered in the night, speaking the words she would never say if he could hear. "But you'd never come with me. I want to be free, I want to be accepted. I don't want to be a slave any more." One tear fell, but Lyn didn't even notice. "I'm sorry, Janus. But I can't stay."

The sky was brightening with the light that only Mazoku could see when Lyn reached the first few buildings of Dorino. Stepping onto the paving stones, Lyn gave a sigh and leaned against a wall. Blessed Lady, she was back. She was home.

"What are you doing here?" a man asked in Zenese.

Lyn turned her head, green hair whipping her face. Looking at the man, it took her a long moment to realize why he sounded familiar. "Mahew? By Magi-" Realizing what she was saying, Lyn closed her mouth, looking frightened.

"Do I… know you?" Mahew said in confusion.

"It's me, Lyn. Please, you have to remember me…"

Mahew looked at her, searching for anything he might recognize in the mamono woman claiming to be the healer from Algetty. "I remember Lyn. I can't say for sure that you're her."

Lyn's face went whiter than it already was, blood draining in horror from Mahew's statement. "What do you mean… I'm Lyn."

"Lyn was Human," Mahew said roughly. Seeing the hurt in her eyes, he softened slightly. "Lyn saved my life, the day before the attack. For her sake, I'll give you a warning, mamono. Get out of here. Get out of Dorino, get out of Human lands. I'll even promise not to tell anyone, if you leave now."

"I…" Lyn didn't know what she was trying to say, and it didn't matter. Mahew turned and walked away, limping.

Dawn was breaking, sun topping the horizon, fingers of light tracing Lyn's stricken face. Mahew… hadn't recognized her. He had called her mamono as though she were one of them, and warned her as though… Warned her as though her own people would kill her.

Janus hadn't understood the conversation he'd over heard, and made a mental note to learn Zenese at the next opportunity. It was easy enough to guess what had passed, though, from the look on Lyn's face and the fact the man hadn't attacked. They had known each other, before Lyn was captured, and now the man seemed to have told Lyn something she didn't want to hear.

Motion towards the center of town caught Lyn's eye, and she staggeringly approached, Mahew's warning still in her mind. Merchants were setting up their stalls, laughing and talking quietly in the dawn light. As Lyn drew nearer, the Humans fell silent, looking at her with suspicious eyes.

"I- I just need supplies," Lyn heard herself say, words imposing themselves on the scene. "I just want to cross the desert, that's all." She was using Zenese, but a Medinian accent colored her words and grammar.

"Get the guard!" a man ordered, talking to his assistant. Looking at Lyn, he gave cruel, hungry smile. "If y'leave now, mamono, they might not catch ya," he said, eager for the chase that would start.

"I'm not mamono," Lyn protested, shaking her head. "I'm Human… I just want a little food and water, just enough to cross the desert." She looked at the villagers with a lost expression.

A woman flung a rock, missing Lyn by a finger's length. "Get outta here, filthy monster! We don't care what you want!"

"Stop being so soft!" a new voice said, a man in armor joining the forming mob. "The only good mamono's a dead one. If we let her live, she'll kill all of us at night!"

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" Lyn shouted desperately. "I just want—"

"Food and comfort!" the man interrupted. "And you expect us to just wave as you go back to your friends and tell them all about us!"

Lyn looked at the man, just looked. Tilting her head to the side, with a quiet, earnest voice she asked, "I'm… not Human?"

The armored man blinked blankly at the question, and then started laughing. "What the hell do you think you're tryin' to pull here? Of course you're not Human. Who'd think you are, with mamono features and clothes like that?"

"I'm not… Human," Lyn said again, to herself in Medinian this time. "But Janus said I was…."

Peering out from behind a building, Janus sighed to himself. The girl had wonderful timing on her realizations, really, waiting until they were in the middle of hostile territory to realize she had nothing in common with these peasants. Hearing the leader saying something more, Janus sighed again. It looked like Lyn was too far out of it to save herself, and he didn't feel like leaving her. "Lizard protect me," he muttered, fluidly adding a chant.

"Lyn, come here," Janus ordered sharply, stepping into view. A black glow enveloped his left hand, and he held a scythe in his right, looking very much like the popular conception of death.

Lyn turned to him with a broken gaze. "You said I was Human."

"This is not the _time_ for that conversation, girl, get _over_ here!" Janus snapped, red eyes flashing dangerously.

Obeying the tone, Lyn stepped closer, never looking away from Janus. The armored Human took a couple of paces after Lyn, but all Janus had to do was motion with his spell-covered hand and the man stopped.

Once Lyn was close enough, Janus stepped around her, putting himself between her and the majority of the villagers. "Keep walking, girl, get us out of here…" Janus hissed.

Lyn did keep walking, though from the sound of her steps Janus assumed she wasn't really noticing where she was going. Looking at the Humans, and then glancing around the town, Janus weighed his options, and then threw the Dark Bomb he held. The light-eating explosion grew rapidly, and Janus used the confusion it caused, grabbing Lyn with the hand he'd freed and pulling her into a run towards the rising sun.

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Whoo, GO JANUS! Please review?


	28. Chapter 27

Chrono Trigger is not mine. I rather enjoyed this chapter, but I have to say the next is my favorite... Anyway... a return to Algetty.

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They ran in silence until the sun heated the air and they had to stop. Looking around, Janus cursed. Waiting until nightfall to cross the desert was out now, since it already surrounded them. Lyn was standing where she'd stopped, that same broken look still on her face.

"Is this the way?" Janus asked, moving into her line of sight.

"You said I was Human," Lyn answered.

Janus glared and ran a hand through his hair. "I said that a year ago, when you still _were_ Human!"

"_You_… are Human…" Lyn said.

"Not if I can help it. There's no reason to cling to that, when I can become Mazoku and lead!"

"You… want to be Mazoku?" Lyn asked, a flicker of… something showing in her eyes.

Janus was encouraged by the fact that she seemed to be feeling _something_. "Yes. I've been asking the Maou to allow it. If we get back on our own, I think he might." Seeing that Lyn had returned to her emotionless state, Janus made one last try to reach her. "He'd allow you to join to." Once more, something flickered in Lyn's ruby eyes, but she gave no other reaction.

With another sigh, Janus started walking east again. After a couple of steps, he realized Lyn wasn't following. Stalking back towards her, he snarled as he took her hand and began dragging her along. "If you don't snap outta this, you're gonna be useless, girl," he muttered.

The heat of the desert was brutal, especially with no water. Janus knew their only chance was to keep moving and hope they found something soon. Lyn had returned to unresponsiveness, silently letting Janus take her wherever he wanted, while he walked stubbornly, hoping he would recognize what he was looking for when they found it. If he remembered correctly, the mountain to the north was nominally Mazoku land, but mostly inhabited by Freelancers, and Freelancers weren't that fond of the other races. They'd work with the races well enough when they were being paid, but if you weren't hiring them, it was best to stay away. He didn't have nearly enough money to hire them, and they wouldn't be of much use to him anyway. He couldn't be sure that even his status as the Maou's slave would convince them to help him back to the castle.

On the other hand, both Slash and Lyn had mentioned a cave, hidden by magic, which connected the Human lands to Mazoku. It wasn't in the Freelancer's mountain, he was sure of that, and he cloudily assumed it was on the east of this continent, in the place Lyn had been leading them yesterday.

As they passed the mountain, the ocean came into view, wide and blue. Janus' shadow was beginning to stretch before him as the sun set in the west when he saw what looked like buildings between him and the horizon. Without wasting his breath talking to the silent girl he led, Janus changed his path slightly to pass closer to the structures.

Coming nearer the shapes, Janus saw that they were ruins, mostly burnt. As he realized this, Lyn's hand slipped from his, and the green haired girl passed him like a ghost, walking into the middle of the ruined town.

"Algetty is burnt," she murmured, turning her head and seeming to look around.

Janus gave a near-silent groan. It seemed he'd stumbled onto the remains of her hometown, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Given the fact that Lyn was _acting_ on her own, he tended to say good thing, at least for the moment.

Taking an overgrown path out of town and towards the forest, Lyn stopped when she reached two houses. From the way she looked at the larger of the two, Janus had a feeling that was the house she'd grown up in.

"It doesn't look the same," Lyn observed. "I see colors… that weren't there before." As she spoke, she walked to the door, caressing the handle for a moment before opening it.

The interior of the house stank of dust and musty disuse, but it appeared to be mostly undisturbed. Lyn walked in, her weight creaking floorboards. Scurrying came from the cupboards and cold hearth, but Lyn didn't seem to hear. "Nothing is as I remember it…."

She climbed the steps slowly, Janus following in curiosity. Turning to the right, she opened the door and looked at her room. The bed was still unmade from her flight, and now mice were nesting in it, watching her with glittering eyes. "I had so little," Lyn said, a faint blush of surprise coloring her voice. "I thought I had more."

From the looks of it, she'd had a bed, two changes of clothes, and a wash basin with a comb, Janus thought. He wondered how those three things had changed themselves in Lyn's memories. Two wash basins? Or maybe three changes of clothes?

"Will… you be all right on your own, Lyn?" Janus asked quietly. He didn't want to send her back to her silence, but at the same time he needed his question answered.

Lyn nodded, or he thought she did. That was enough; Janus slipped away, leaving her to her memories. Out of respect for Lyn, he left her house, going the short distance to the other house. There were the remnants of a well-tended vegetable garden by the door, and Janus found himself questioning about the person who had lived here before. Had they been happy here, or sad? Where they a slave now, or dead, or had they escaped?

A harsh shake of his head broke those odd musings, and Janus narrowed his eyes at the door. Whoever had lived here, he hoped they'd left something of value. As it was, he wouldn't have enough to buy fare on a ship to Maou Castle. With that thought, Janus opened the door and began searching.

Leaving her old room, Lyn went to her mother's room. As she entered, Lyn half-expected Shanda's tired voice, telling her to stay out. All she got, however, was a splash of carmine sunlight coming through a window.

Fingering the fabric of her mother's favorite dress, the one that was worn only on festival days, Lyn's first thought was how course the fabric was. For Magician's sake, Lyn was a slave, and her dress was finer. Of course, her dress had been made for Flea originally, but that there was still such a difference…

Dropping the cloth, Lyn sat on the dusty stool before her mother's small mirror. With careful hands, Lyn opened the small, carved box where Shanda had kept her jewelry. She had never been allowed to handle this box, or to hold the adornments within, and so it was with some curiosity that Lyn looked inside.

A small pendant carved from a blue stone, her father's last gift to Shanda before the war took him. A delicate pair of rings, which Lyn knew had never been worn, were the rings her parents had exchanged when they married. And the finest of all, a thumb-sized moonstone set in gold filigree, sent from Dorino as a funeral gift from her father's family.

Driven by a vague impulse to return these to Shanda, Lyn picked up the moonstone pendant and placed it around her own neck. The blue stone was next, shaped into a rough form of the Lady, tucked down Lyn's collar with the moonstone. The rings she left; by tradition they had never been worn, and it was right that they never be worn.

There was nothing more for her here, Lyn realized. Not that she had had much of a life when she lived here, either. She would have married, if she were lucky. No, far more likely she would have remained unmarried, living alone on the edge of town, healing the sick and injured until age and infirmities claimed her.

Leaving the building that had once been her home, Lyn looked about in the post-dusk light, trying to see where Janus had gone. A noise from Widow Marie's house made it very clear where the blue-haired youth had gone. She walked blindly past the over-grown garden, and found Janus on the floor, prying up a board.

"This was Widow Marie's house. Ethrurrion killed her," Lyn stated.

"There's something under this board," Janus said. It was an acknowledgment that he had heard her, as well as explanation of his actions. "I'm hoping it's money, or at least valuable. We'll need to buy passage across the ocean to Maou Castle."

"We could sleep here. The well should be unblocked, and in the morning…"

Janus nodded once, reaching into the hole he had made. "You know where we're going."

"I'll get some water," Lyn said, grabbing a bucket from near the door and running out of the house.

Janus pulled the small package he'd found from the hole, smiling. It seemed that returning here had helped Lyn. Unwrapping the protecting cloth, he looked at what he'd found. "Praise the Liberators," he whispered, a couple gold coins flashing. With those, and offering to work during the passage, he and Lyn should have enough to reach the Mazoku capital.

* * *

And Lyn is faced with what she -really- lost. Like it?


	29. Chapter 28

Short chapter... But quite a fun one! Chrono Trigger isn't mine

* * *

They spent the night under Marie's ragged blankets, sleeping back to back. In the morning, each ate a little of the food they had on them, and shared a bucket of water Lyn drew from the well. Lyn led the way when they left, returning to a melancholy silence, but not the utter unresponsiveness of the day before.

The day passed quickly, and finally the pair stood before a cliff wall. Janus shot Lyn a curious look, and she shrugged. The cave ought to be here, but she couldn't find it. "It was here. I know it was," Lyn insisted.

"It is," Janus agreed affably. "Sir Slash has mentioned it a couple of times. Now shut up, I need to concentrate."

Lyn nodded and watched as Janus… did nothing. He closed his eyes and stood there, facing the stone wall with the setting sun behind it. Every now and again he would mutter something, too low for her to make out, and occasionally he would motion slightly, but for the most part he was silent and still.

Finally the cliff split with a low rumble, one half slowly parting from the other. "Go!" Janus gasped, trembling a little. Lyn didn't let herself think twice, running past the blue-haired youth into the cave. Janus followed, the cave beginning to close as soon as he started moving.

"It's dark," Lyn said, feeling dazed and stupid. Janus answered with a chant, and a familiar magical glow lit his hand. Looking around, he found some wood that would do for a torch, but he didn't light it yet.

"How long is this tunnel?"

"A day, from here to the end, and most of a day from there to the coast," Lyn said.

Extinguishing his spell, Janus sat down. "Then we'll sleep now."

The cave echoed as Lyn moved, laying down. "What will happen, when we get back?"

"I told you, idiot," Janus answered, no real rancor in his voice. "I'll take my place as a Mazoku, and you can too."

"Won't we be in trouble?"

"What for, surviving hostile lands and returning home safely?" Janus snorted.

"But it's our own fault for not getting back to the ship," Lyn protested.

"Heh, our fault? If you want to blame someone, blame the Lardon-damned soldiers. They're the ones who cut us off and chased us through that swamp."

Lyn had no response to that, and in time the two slept. Upon waking, they finished what food they had, lit the makeshift torch, and continued traveling. At no place in particular, Lyn stopped.

"Tobias died here. He was trying to rebel." Lyn looked at nothing, watching her memories. "Now the girl he loved is Sir Slash's bed slave," she added, no real regret in her voice.

Janus didn't know how to react to this random revelation, and so he said nothing. After a moment, Lyn shook her head and offered him a small smile. Janus accepted the smile with a slow nod, and they kept walking.

The salted lands were next, and Lyn went slower, unsure of her direction. She knew now that the exhaustion she had felt had been magical exhaustion. She had over-used her tech, the night after Tobias' rebellion. She thanked Magician that Esaku had stopped her when he had; she had nearly burned herself out.

"Lavos is under this land," Janus said, in much the same manner that Lyn had been offering her disclosures.

"What is Lavos?" Lyn asked, glancing at the horizon.

"A monster," Janus answered. Mazoku didn't use the word monster lightly; it was applied to them too often by Humans to be casually tossed about. "It destroyed my home and sent me here. Maou Ozzie found me shortly after, and claimed me, brought me to the castle."

"Is that why you don't know Zenese?"

One side of Janus' mouth bent in a grim smile. "You noticed?"

"If you understood the names I'd called you, you would have responded worse," Lyn said, referring to their many fights.

"And maybe you'd have fought better if you knew what I called you in Zealian," Janus taunted.

"I'll teach you," Lyn promised.

Janus nodded. "I'll teach you," he likewise promised.

The sun was maybe a hands breath from the horizon when they finally reached the Mazoku port town. "Leave the talking to me," Janus instructed, heading for the docks.

After a bit of searching, a bit of haggling, and showing papers quite a lot, Janus found them passage on a ship. The voyage went quickly, though that was probably in part because Lyn and Janus were working too hard to feel bored. When they were let off at the end of the voyage, Janus took the lead, finally back on familiar ground.

This time, Lyn was able to enjoy the scenery as she approached the castle. The dark, almost black, barked trees were actually a brown and huelin, a detail she hadn't noticed on her previous forays. Looking at the well-crafted pile of stone that was Maou Castle, an odd sense of homecoming swept over Lyn.

They entered the castle unopposed, finally stopping before the Great Escape. "Choose to follow me," Janus whispered, a strange intensity to his voice.

"Where ever you lead," Lyn murmured back, not even considering what she was promising.

No more words were spoken. The pair separated, each returning to their respective owner.

* * *

And what is Janus planning...? Please review!


	30. Chapter 29

Arg, I'm horrible, I know. A full day late, and I still almost forgot it. Another transition chapter, but very fun. Side note, I hate Ozzie.

Chrono Trigger belongs to Squeenix.

* * *

Janus waited impatiently for Ozzie to return. Oh, sure, he could make excuses; the Maou didn't realize that he was back, or the Maou was busy ruling. But Janus was not in the mood to make excuses for the fat ball of uselessness that he considered Ozzie to be. Finally Ozzie entered the rooms, grumbling and muttering to himself.

"Hello, _Master_," Janus said softly, letting his power and confidence edge his words.

Ozzie bobbed in the air, mouth working soundlessly for a few moments. "B-boy!" he finally squeaked out.

"You seem surprised. Did you really think I wouldn't come back?"

Now fully over his shock, Ozzie sneered. "Of course I knew you'd come back, boy! I've taught you everything, and I knew you'd want to return."

"Of course I would," Janus agreed easily, sitting in one of the chairs around the room.

Ozzie lowered himself into the large couch, which groaned under the weight. "So, ah… I suppose you should get some sort of recognition for managing to return. Did you walk all the way?"

"The desert is lovely this time of year," Janus nodded. "Lady Flea's girl actually proved to be a help," he added, laying the groundwork for the next part of his plan.

"She's back too?" Ozzie asked, realizing that Janus was controlling this conversation. "Something should be done for her, then…."

Perfect, Janus thought. Now all he had to do was… "We are Mazoku. It's time we were recognized as such."

Ozzie's green face paled at Janus' statement. This wasn't the first time the boy had brought that up, but the Maou knew that this time he wouldn't be put off. "I… well, I suppose that would be right for you, boy, but surely the girl… She's only been here for a year, I mean!"

Janus let a small amount of power leak from his right hand. Smokey black tendrils of shadow magic stretched from his hand, climbing up his arm, reaching towards Ozzie. Casually, almost as though he were unaware of the frightening display he was making, Janus said, "She is Mazoku. I am Mazoku. Do whatever you need to, but make it recognized."

With a desperate swallow, Ozzie nodded. The boy was out of control, and not for the first time Ozzie had the premonition that he might be 'training' his own replacement. "I will arrange it, but it's her choice to go through with it or not!" he agreed, trying to keep back any clause that might help salvage this situation.

Secure in the promise Lyn had given him, Janus nodded generously. "Of course it's her choice." Pulling his power back in, the boy stood and started walking to his room. After a few steps, he stopped and half-turned toward the green Maou. "We'll be recognized by the end of the week, I expect." It wasn't a question, and he didn't wait for the answer.

* * *

"Who's there?" Flea asked from the library when Lyn walked in.

"It's me, Mistress," Lyn answered, almost sighing.

Flea came into the foyer, surprise on her pretty face. "Girl? I thought you were dead! How did you get back?"

"We walked, Mistress. Jan- the Maou's boy was able to open the cave," Lyn answered wearily.

Flea nodded, noticing how tired Lyn seemed. "Don't worry about it anymore, girl. Come to bed. You've been missed."

Lyn had barely dressed the next morning when the outer door to Flea's chambers was opened. Looking confused, Flea pulled on a robe and went to meet the intruder, Lyn trailing after. "M-Maou Ozzie! What- brings you here this early, sir?" Flea gasped.

"Your girl," Ozzie answered, seeming irritated about something.

Flea stiffened slightly, but moved to one side, giving Ozzie free access to Lyn. Without being told, Lyn walked past her Mistress. Maou Ozzie was not like she had expected. She had thought he would look more like Lizard in the tapestries, lean and fit. Instead, he was at least as wide as he was tall, and his head was only on eye level because he was floating.

Stopping a couple paces from the Maou, Lyn slowly gave a bow. "S-sir?"

Ozzie looked at the girl curiously. She didn't look like much, and he couldn't imagine that a girl like her could have survived in enemy lands, let alone be ready to call herself Mazoku. Well, that was all for the better; she would say no, and the boy would learn that not everything would go the way he planned. "My boy says you want to be Mazoku."

Lyn frowned slightly, trying to guess what Janus would have told Ozzie to make him think that. Sure, the boy had said that _he _was going to be Mazoku, but why would he think she would? She wasn't Human, but that didn't mean she was going to follow Janus'… And then she froze, remembering the last request Janus had made.

"Well, girl? You're wasting my time. Was the boy lying to me or what?" Ozzie asked impatiently.

She didn't want to be Mazoku… did she? But that didn't matter right now. She had given Janus a promise. "He was not lying, sir. He never lies."

Ozzie narrowed his eyes, trying to figure this girl out. "So you'll join him in the Trial?"

"I will join him," Lyn answered, not hesitating this time.

"So be it," Ozzie snapped, seemingly more irritated than before. Looking away from Lyn, he said, "Flea?"

Flea stepped forward and nodded once. "I'll take care of it, sir."

His business apparently finished, Ozzie left, muttering to himself. Flea turned and gave Lyn a long look before sighing. It was inevitable, really, she supposed, but that didn't mean it wasn't annoying to be loosing her slave like this.

"M-mistress?" Lyn asked softly, unsettled by the look Flea was giving her.

Flea shook her head, silencing the girl. "Don't ask questions; I can't give the answers."

It was only a couple of days later that Flea was told to take action. She opted for a sleeping spell, knocking Lyn out before the girl knew she was in danger. Carrying the sleeping girl down to the dungeon area, Flea hopped she would survive this trial.

* * *

Hehe. Next chapter, the Trial. How'd you like Ozzie?


	31. Chapter 30

Some of you might remember this chapter and the next from my original version. I've still cleaned them up quite a bit. And we only have two or three more chapters to go. Wow, time flies...

Chrono Trigger still isn't mine, y'know.

* * *

Shanda was busy cleaning when Ozzie found her. He watched silently for a little while, inwardly smirking. He had quite a show planned, and it would be all the more entertaining to invite the mother of Flea's favorite... 'student'. "You, woman. Come with me," he snapped, pleased to see the fear flicker through the Human's face. She'd never expected to be addressed by the Mazoku king, after all. Come to think of it, did she even realize her daughter was still alive? Oh, this was going to be fun.

Timidly following after the round figure, Shanda had time to wonder what was going on. The dread Maou Ozzie had spoken to her, ordered her to follow him, and that, from the talk of those who had been here longer, was never a good thing. Her unease only increased when she was brought to a smallish room where the three generals were sitting. None of them so much as looked at her, however, too busy looking into a large globe.

"You're late, Maou Ozzie," Flea drawled, gesturing at the crystal sphere. Shanda very carefully looked at the floor, not wanting to upset these monsters. But oh, how she hated that... female -thing- that had done such things to her daughter!

Settling his bulk into the empty chair, Ozzie waived his hand dismissively. "I know, I know. But I had to get someone to serve our food. Now, is everything ready? How about our two, how are they?"

Slash glanced at Shanda curiously. It wasn't customary to have slaves serve them while they were watching the trials... but Maris had mentioned this woman, hadn't she? Right, this was Lyn's mother. That explained it all quite nicely. "The girl's still out, see?" he answered, motioning to the scrying globe.

"I still can't understand why they're even in this trial," Tihl muttered. "Let alone why you put them together… a pair of mages! They'll never make it."

Something in the way they were talking pulled Shanda's mind away from her hate. Wondering what was so interesting in the ball of crystal, she lifted her head enough to see. It took her a few moments to make sense of the slightly distorted figures. A muffled gasp escaped her when she recognized Lyn lying on a stone floor, a blue-haired young man standing above her. She didn't notice that Ozzie was watching her, or the cruel smile that graced his features at her gasp.

* * *

Lyn awoke in the dark, on hard, cold stone. She managed not to groan, though her head hurt like a Hench had danced on her brain. Instead she tried sitting up, carefully, confused. She had been in Flea's rooms, and then… she'd fallen asleep. A sleep spell, then, but where was she now? Searching for balance, her hand found a wall of rough-hewn stone, with what felt like moss or lichen on it. There was a sound of leather on stone, and gleaming red eyes suddenly fixed Lyn in an annoyed stare. She yelped, and in response got a snort that she recognized as belonging to Janus. "It's about damn time you woke up. If I had known you'd prove so lazy, I would have left you. Now we're behind," he snapped.

"Be…behind?" Lyn asked, her voice sounding as puzzled as she was. Her eyes were adjusting, and she glanced around, noticing light coming from the walls themselves, outlining the general shape of a hallway. The outline of her hand on the moss struck her oddly, and she quickly removed her hand from the wall.

"It's the trial, didn't anyone tell you about it?" Lyn shook her head, and Janus sighed and ran a hand through his hair in irritation. "We're in the dungeon. There's an artifact we're to retrieve. If we fail to bring it back, we'll likely be dead. Now come on, let's get going."

Lyn nodded nervously, wondering what Janus had not told her. She knew that, while Janus had not lied, he had not told the whole truth. There was something he was hiding, most likely in a hope to make life easier on himself. It would get explained in time, whatever the Mazoku youth was hiding. Lyn knew she probably wouldn't like it, but she also knew that she had no choice. She had promised to follow Janus, wherever he led. Standing slowly, she kept her limbs from the glowing moss as best as she could. "Let's," she agreed. Janus turned away, and Lyn began to follow.

As they walked in silence, Lyn was able to look around a little more, her eyes fully adjusted to the dark. Even though it was called a dungeon, the hallways felt more like those of a tomb. There didn't appear to be much difference to the Mazoku. The lichen was glowing softly, lending everything a sickly yellow-green color, like poisoned moonlight, cutting both red _and _huelin from her vision, while the damp underground chill was already penetrating her bones. Janus barely spared a glance at his surroundings, seeming to glide forward on sure and silent steps.

Before long, she could hear the distorted echo of voices coming from beyond the intersection ahead. Janus stopped, gracefully lifting his arm to stop Lyn. Motioning for her to stay, he crept forward to where their hallway intersected another. He peered around the corner, then held up two fingers before beckoning Lyn to him. She came slowly, unwilling to face what she feared, but knowing she had no other option. Janus motioned to her, then around the corner, before making the sign for death. The meaning was fairly clear; two people around the corner, and either they or she would die. Janus wouldn't be coming to her rescue this time, from the hard look in his carmine eyes. She shook her head in mute plea, but his gaze didn't soften.

Lyn closed her eyes and drew in a long, shuddering breath, trying to decide her course. She didn't have to kill them, she knew. If she shook her head, Janus would likely... what would he do? Leave her, probably. Leave her alone down here, where the cold bit into her and the ghastly light illuminated nothing. Leave her here, where she would die, or survive as Flea's slave. He wouldn't kill her, she knew. If she refused to fight, he wouldn't even give her that… mercy.

But she wasn't Human, was she? So why should she care if she… killed? The Mazoku killed… but she wasn't Mazoku. Was she?

As her daughter thought, Shanda watched with mute horror, oblivious to the fact that Ozzie and Tihl watched her more than the orb. She could see the Humans around the corner thanks to the slightly zoomed out view the crystal gave. What confused Shanda was Lyn's hesitation. She had recognized the motions the young man had made, but Lyn would never kill anyone, she was a healer. So why was Lyn standing there, and not trying to find some other way around?

Restless rustling drew Lyn's mind back to the present. Exhaling, she opened her eyes and nodded her reluctant agreement. Janus nodded sharply back and traced an intricate line in the air with a hand. The scythe he had wielded in Dorino materialized in the hand he'd just used. Lyn realized then that she didn't have any weapons aside from magic, but she held her tongue. This was not the time to worry about that; her magic would have to be enough. Janus darted around the corner, and Lyn accompanied him.

There were, as Janus had indicated, two men, both Human, prisoners from their poor condition and brown rags. "Well, lookit this, it's a coupla them Human-lookin' mamono. Ya reckon we should kill them?" one said, a length of chain wrapped around his fist and up his forearm.

The other man was unarmed, but he grinned all the same, eyeing Lyn. "Sounds great to me. You get the boy," he agreed, still looking at the girl. "I'll take her."

"Hey, you'd better leave some o' her for me," the first replied, letting the other man walk past him. Janus, too, stepped aside slightly, barely glancing at the man as he passed. Lyn looked at the Mazoku, mildly horrified by his coldness, but he was already starting to attack the man with the chain, trusting her to do what she needed to.

A chuckle drew her eyes back to her opponent, and Lyn unconsciously backed away as he approached her, leering. "S…Stay away from me…" she warned. She wasn't sure she could outright kill him, even if he planned on raping her. The man just grinned wider and lunged at her. Lyn evaded his clumsy maneuver easily, her sporadic practice with Janus paying off. The man approached again, with a roundhouse punch, and again she dodged, ducking under the fist. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Janus was leaning against the wall calmly watching the fight, his opponent already dead.

She shook her head at the remaining Human, desperately warning him to stay away, for both their sakes, even as she began chanting the first spell she'd ever gained. The man hung back, his eyes on the gathering blue light between her hands. There was a pause; a moment of stillness as man and girl faced each other. Then Lyn looked in his eyes, absently noting that they were green. The man didn't understand the strange madness he saw in her eyes, and he had no time to ponder. The spell was completed with a word and a flick of her hands. The light flew toward the man, elongating as it transformed into a frozen spike. It impacted his chest and pierced through until it and he hit the wall. A look of surprise crossed his face, and then he slumped down, the ice dissipating, blood flowing from the wound.

* * *

Shanda once again muffled her gasp, hands flying to her mouth. Her daughter, her Lyn, was fighting a man, a Human! The woman couldn't look away from the scene which was rapidly unfolding before her, and a cry finally broke from her lips as she watched her daughter mouth a Mazoku spell. When Lyn hesitated, Shanda felt a brief moment of hope, and then the spell flew, and her daughter had killed the man.

Flea had also caught on to Ozzie's game, and so ignored the disbelieving sound. "How utterly embarrassing," she griped, complaining about her student's performance. "I thought I had taught her better."

* * *

Lyn fell to her knees, starring at the dying man in blank horror as the light dimmed from his eyes. Janus didn't let her dwell on her action though, lightly touching her shoulder. "Maybe there is hope for you," he muttered, trying to keep her from that unresponsive state. She had to be stronger then this if she was going to be his second like he wanted. He turned away from her and bent over the man he'd killed.

Confused red eyes watched Janus' movements as he unwrapped the chain links from the dead man's arm. "I killed him," she observed in a distant voice.

"Clumsy and messy, but it's only your second kill," Janus agreed tightly as he stood with the chain in his hand.

"Second?" Lyn's voice was still flat, but now there was a note of…disbelief? Or was it horror, or maybe something else?

Janus brushed blue hair from his face. "A year ago, the man with the shovel. That 'rebellion' at the building site," he reminded tiredly.

"I… cast a spell at him, but… that didn't kill him," Lyn protested, standing.

With a frown, more from her ignorance then anything she'd done, Janus handed her the chain. "Even if it was the fall that killed him, you still caused it. It doesn't matter now. Here. Even a magician needs some kind of a weapon."

Lyn took the chain and looked it over curiously, the change of topic aiding her mental recovery. The iron links were rusted, but still sound, decently made, with a good weight. The chain was about four feet long and rather thin, a little over a thumb width at the widest. "How… do I use it?" she asked hesitantly.

"How should I know! I've never used a chain before, idiot. Experiment," the Mazoku responded, wondering why she even bothered to ask something like that.

"Well you seem to have done everything else," Lyn said, defending herself from Janus' usual snarky mood.

"There's a lot I haven't done yet," Janus admitted quietly.

"Did… they have the… um, artifact?" Lyn asked, barely able to glance at her kill. Her kill… she'd killed, killed a Human, and it affected her, as much as she wanted to deny it. Simply not being Human… wasn't enough. Perhaps… maybe it was time… to accept that she was… in fact… Her mind shied away from the thought, unwilling to complete it.

Janus shook his head. "No. We'll have to keep hunting. C'mon." He turned the way they had been headed, and started walking. Lyn followed, forcing herself to lengthen her stride, not to trot.

"Are… there more… people down here?" Lyn asked quietly. Janus nodded briefly, an indication that he didn't want conversation. Lyn sighed and was silent.

A few moments later, the young pair came across two bodies, both Imps. The blue Mazoku had apparently been beaten to death, probably by the Humans the youths had just killed. Looking at the carnage, Lyn found she was almost used to it. Janus, for his part, seemed pleased. "Only four teams left," he observed quietly.

* * *

Shanda was almost ready to scream when Lyn stood... and began following the... the _monster_. What was wrong with her daughter— _"Lyn, you're not _Human _any more!"_ -No! That had been nothing more than a bad dream, brought on by stress and worry.

Slash knew what Ozzie was doing. The sheer sadism was enough to make him faintly ill; there was no reason to torment the woman. He was careful not to watch Shanda, not wanting to see the pointless pain. The swordsman was rather surprised actually. Lyn was coping much better than he had expected. But Janus... Ah, the boy. He would be someone to fear when he came into his power.

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	32. Chapter 31

Second-to-last chapter. Chrono Trigger isn't mine.

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They continued traversing the dungeon halls, the sickly lime lighting giving their ceremony a surreal feel, the damp bone-chill numbing the body. Lyn knew she'd have nightmares about this. That, or she would allow the final change, accepting the name… Mazoku. The thought of the final and complete betrayal of race she was born to was still enough to make Lyn shiver, but she was starting to see its appeal. As a Mazoku she would have a place, free from guilt and regrets. She was still lost in her thoughts when a stone hit her hard in the back.

Lyn pitched forward, thrown off balance by the impact. She caught herself, one hand scraping a track of glowing moss off the wall, the other hitting the floor hard. Janus spun around, knowing it was an attack as soon as he heard Lyn fall. The attackers, again Humans, charged Lyn and Janus, intending to take the pair out by brute force. The cerulean-haired boy was already acting, though, chanting a spell and gesturing fluidly. There was an explosion of darkness in the already-dim hall, and the Humans fell. Lyn was back on her feet now, and she turned, trying to see what had happened.

Janus walked over to the fallen attackers, checking quickly to see if either had survived, and if they had the item he needed. When he was done, he glanced at Lyn and shook his head, almost seeming to apologize. "There's nothing left for you, but you'll get more chances. We have to keep looking, and there's three teams left."

"I…" Lyn gasped out, not sure what she wanted to say as her mind tried to make sense of what happened.

Seeing Lyn's confusion, Janus sighed and decided to explain more. "You already know that this is a trial, an acceptance ceremony you could say. The better we do here, the higher status we'll have there," he motioned vaguely towards the rest of the castle. "Right now, it looks like I'll be outranking you," he added, an arrogant smirk on his thin lips.

"You already do," Lyn stated automatically before processing his words. If she did well here, she wouldn't be a slave anymore, might even be free of Flea. Might even gain enough status to outrank Janus. But to do well, she'd have to actually try. She'd have to accept the change.

Janus watched Lyn, guessing at her thoughts from her open expressions. "Stop being so damned readable," he snapped, a certain amount of fondness in his voice. Her face closed, and he nodded in approval, "Right. Let's go."

Most of the remaining day was spent in the search for the last three teams. Lyn was forced to abuse her healing spells to keep their strength up, as the damp and chill sapped at their strength. Lyn was fighting very hard not to fall into a stupor as the chill and the poisonous green light mixed with her dwindling magic power. She was still walking but was only minimally aware of what was going on around her. A recognizable ring of steel on steel aroused her with a burst of adrenaline.

Janus put an arm out to keep her from charging into the battle, somewhat surprised at her trance-born battle-lust. Looking down the hall, he saw steps, with the fighting around a corner beyond. "Let them fight; the winners will be weakened, easier prey," he whispered, creeping down the steps.

Lyn nodded in agreement, allowing herself a moment of reflection. Her life had shattered around her, and she had spent too much energy trying to hold to it. Things hadn't miraculously gotten all better, and it was time to leave the dream of her old life behind, something she should have done a year ago. She hadn't wanted to be Mazoku, but it seemed she already was, and now she had to accept it.

Peering around the corner, the pair saw that the corridor widened into a room, where a team of Mazoku battled a pair of Humans. The Mazoku had the obvious advantage, one casting magic and a Freelancer with a sword. The Humans, however, were putting up a good fight, not letting the magic frighten them. The unarmed man was attacking the Freelancer with skilled blows, nimbly avoiding the sword. The other, armed with a club, was hitting the magic user, though the Mazoku, odd for a mage, didn't seem to be feeling the full force of the blows.

The bird-like Freelancer feinted high, then cut low just as its opponent charged in. Pulling the sword out of the man's skull with a wet noise, the Mazoku raised the blade again. The cloaked magician, a Juggler, lifted a hand from its robes and sent a stream of fire toward the bloodied steel. Lyn knew what was coming next. The Freelancer whirled with the flaming sword, cleaving the club-wielding Human in two. The sick smell of burnt meat filled the air.

Janus touched Lyn's arm, then pointed to the Freelancer, who was cleaning the now-cool sword. Lyn hesitated just a moment, surprised that they would have to kill even the Mazoku in this trial, and then she nodded and stood. Stepping around the corner, Lyn tightened her hold on the chain, ignoring the stench, and hearing Janus start a spell. "Birdie!" Lyn called, causing the Mazoku to squawk and raise his blade. Dark Bomb, the familiar explosion of blackness, detonated on the Juggler, and Lyn raised her chain to deflect the charging Freelancer's sword.

Somehow managing to twist the chain around the sword, Lyn pulled down. The Mazoku didn't let go in time, unsure how to fight her, and overbalanced, falling forward. Taking a step back, Lyn let the sword pull free of the rusted links as she chanted, calling fire. She pointed a chain-wrapped hand at the darkly feathered creature and the magical flame shot forth. With a loud screech, the already weakened Freelancer fell to the dungeon floor, smoldering slightly. From behind her, Lyn heard Janus call.

"This one juggles defense! Use a spell after I hit it!" As the young man spoke, his scythe flashed, wounding the Juggler.

Lyn's mind was back in a fog from her exertions, but she understood Janus' order. With another chant, she hurled a bolt of ice at the red-cloaked Mystic, then frowned. That spell was far weaker then it was intended to be.

Janus spun around, hitting the creature with his scythe once again, burying the tip in the Juggler's chest. The Mazoku's eyes widened, and it fell back, pulling free of the metal with a wet sucking sound. Breathing heavily, Janus looked around. Seeing the dead Freelancer, he nodded slightly before asking "How are you on magic?"

"I'm out," Lyn replied dully, unseeing eyes covering the carnage as her adrenaline faded.

"Lardon take it," Janus cursed, banishing his scythe. "I'm out too, and there's still a team left. And they're the ones with the item."

"How… how do you know?" Lyn asked.

For answer, Janus motioned to a decorated niche in the wall. "That's empty." He looked up at Lyn, red eyes meeting red eyes. "We have to stop them. Ambush, I think; we can't take another drawn-out fight. Stay quite, stay close, and stay ready."

Exhaustion showed in Lyn's eyes as she nodded. "We should hurry…."

Janus smiled encouragingly, grateful she wasn't locking up anymore. "Right. Let's go, Lyn." Janus became stern again, and he ran out of the room, Lyn on his heels.

With blue hair streaming behind him like water, Janus seemed to be following a path he knew, never hesitating at intersections. The two youths ran nearly silent despite their exhaustion, quiet being too deeply ingrained by harsh teachings to be forgotten. From up ahead, yellow and blue torchlight began to outshine the sickly lichen, and Janus again called his scythe to his hands. They rounded a last corner and saw two men running for a closed gate. Lyn tightened her hold on the chain, and then they had caught the Humans.

Instinctively, Lyn flung the chain around the nearer man's neck, crossing her arms and pulling it tight. He fell forward from his own momentum, but her backward pull was too gentle to break his neck. Lyn was pulled to her knees by his weight, and he tried to take advantage of the sudden slack. Realizing what he was doing, she managed to get a knee on his back, and she rested her weight on it, thrusting him forward while still pulling back herself. Why wouldn't he just die?

Janus caught his target cleanly through the neck, nearly severing the head. The Mazoku beyond the gate watched expressionlessly as Janus retrieved the small artifact, then turned to see what Lyn was doing. He saw her with the chain around the man's neck, strangling him. Why hadn't she just used enough force to break the spine?

Each little motion as the man tried to breathe pulled on the chain, until Lyn thought that she could feel the muscles in his neck, feel the windpipe beyond, which she was slowly crushing. No, she didn't want it to be this way! He was supposed to be dead by now! Her arms slackened a moment from sheer weariness and despair, and then she pulled the iron links yet tighter.

By Lardon's chain and all calamities, is she -enjoying- this? Janus wondered, paling at the thought. It couldn't be; half a day before she had trembled at the thought of killing! But what other possible explanation could there be, he wondered, watching as she relaxed her arms enough to give her victim the slightest hope of mercy, only to wrench in from him the next moment.

Die already, just die! Warrior, what did I do wrong? Lyn screamed in her mind, bearing down on the Human's back harder. He was curved so much it seemed his back would break, and he shook in the grip of her chain, making small gagging noises. With one last shudder, the man went suddenly still and limp, though she held the pressure for a long time after. And then, with a slow blink, she released the chain, letting the body fall to the ground.

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And... end. One chapter left. Please leave a reveiw.


	33. Chapter 32

This... is the final chapter. It's been a fun ride. Chrono Trigger belongs to SquareEnix.

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Janus waited a moment, looking at Lyn, trying to determine if she had suddenly become a sadistic, homicidal maniac. Seeing that she mostly looked confused by his hesitation, Janus turned his back on her, going toward the gate. "Oi, you. I got the damn token," Janus snapped at the Hench, not in the mood for cerimony or negotiation.

"I sees it!" the Hench snapped back, opening the gate. "Go on, get yer new clothes," he added, jerking his head towards a door.

"Not that we need them," Janus muttered. "We're already wearing Mazoku clothing… Well, I suppose something newer might be nice."

While Janus and Lyn were busy changing, Ozzie cursed to himself and floated out of the room. Flea went out too, and Slash and Tihl glared at little at each other before Slash motioned that Tihl could go first. With only himself and the girl's mother left in the room, Slash spoke to the air in Zenese. "If you stay here a little while, you might be able to speak to your daughter alone."

Shanda looked up at the Mazoku who had claimed Maris, but the swordsman was already leaving. Looking back to the crystal, she saw it had gone dark, and so she crept to the door, and watched through a crack. First the blue-haired youth came out, now in blue pants and a leather cuirass, a sash around his waist and a red cape looking like blood covering his back. Lyn came out too, and tears came to Shanda's eyes when she saw how much her daughter looked like the general Flea. Her corselet top was crimson, as were the leggings, while the short skirt was a splash of black.

An Imp sat on a high stool behind a counter, a book open before him. Glancing at Janus, he looked mildly confused when he turned to Ozzie. "You're sponsoring this one, Maou Ozzie?"

"I am," Ozzie spat out, not looking at Janus.

The Imp shrugged a little and wrote in his book. Taking a packet of papers, he made some more notes on them. "Right… I need a name here, for the new Human-born."

Janus answered before Ozzie could more than open his mouth. "Magus," he said in a strong voice. "And I am not Human-born."

Ozzie turned quickly to glare at the boy, but the blue-haired man returned the Maou's gaze levelly. After a long moment, Ozzie nodded slowly. "As he says."

"Right then…" the Imp said, apparently writing down the information. "Now, if I can just have your seal here, Maou…" Ozzie practically snarled at the Imp and signed the places indicated. The Imp glanced over the paperwork again, then nodded and handed the papers to the newly-named Magus. "Now… who's with her?"

"I'm sponsoring her," Flea answered smoothly, motioning for Lyn to come closer.

"Lady Flea," the Imp said, sounding impressed. "I bet the two of them were a sight to watch, then, if they're being sponsored so highly."

"Just do your job," Ozzie interrupted.

The Imp gave a squeak and did as ordered. "Right, name? And, er… is _she_ Human-born?"

"No, she isn't," Magus answered. This time nobody objected.

"I still need a name…" the Imp muttered.

Lyn didn't answer, and finally Flea rolled her eyes and stepped forward again. "Since she doesn't seem to care, call her Crimson." She smiled as she said the word; Mazoku didn't see the reds, and so their language had no words for them. Those few Mazoku who could see red simply used the Human words, and so most of the nation would never guess that 'Crimson' was being named after nothing more than the color she wore.

The Imp waited a little to see if the girl being named would object. When she remained silent, he finished her paperwork, scooting it over to Ozzie to sign. As soon as his part was done, Ozzie left.

"We'll have jobs for you," Flea promised, nodding politely as she left.

Handing Crimson her papers, Magus sighed again. "You okay there?" he asked, a rare note of concern in his voice.

Crimson looked up, then nodded. "I- I think so. N-now what, Ja… Magus?"

"Go get your chain. Then… hum, meet me by the Great Escape," Magus answered, thinking about his next move. He knew where there was at least one unoccupied room in the castle, he just hoped Crimson wouldn't mind sharing it with him.

"Right," Crimson agreed, turning to go and get her weapon.

"You probably already know this, you two, but just in case you don't," the Imp spoke up. "Keep tight hold on those papers of yours. You don't want to be mistaken for slaves now." Seeing they understood, he nodded to himself, hopped off the stool, and went out the door.

Back at the entrance to the dungeon, the two bodies lay as they had fallen. Going to the man who still had his head, Crimson carefully knelt, trying to keep her new clothing clean. Working quickly, she freed the iron links from their seat in cooling flesh. Now with her chain, she left, trying to figure out how to easily carry the makeshift weapon.

As she crossed the record room, Crimson heard a noise from the door Ozzie had entered from. Looking up, it took her a long while to recognize the ragged brown-haired woman who entered. "Shanda?" she said, free hand going to where the two pendants sat against her skin.

"What has happened to you, Lyn?" Shanda asked harshly, utter disgust in her voice.

"Why do you care?" Crimson asked tiredly.

"I _saw_ you down there!" Shanda hissed venomously. "You use magic… you killed your own kind! Lyn, this isn't who I raised you to be!"

Something broke in Crimson, and her eyes went cold. "Lyn is dead! She died when a rebellious slave drug her to the deck of a ship! I am Crimson, Mazoku mage serving under the rule of Maou Ozzie!"

Shanda didn't answer for a moment, finally bowing her head. "I apologize, madam. I somehow confused you with my daughter. I thought she had somehow survived that rebellion." With a small bow, Shanda walked away, steps heavy and loud in the small room.

Crimson stood in the empty room, staring at nothing, until she could no longer hear the woman's steps. "The past is over. It was just a short-lived dream," she murmured finally. Leaving the room to find Magus, she shut the door behind her.

The End

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And... that's it. Please, leave a final review!


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